by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Erie 1 BOCES: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Erie 1 BOCES specifically, 82% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $5,111 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $5,000, equal to roughly 90.9% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at Erie 1 BOCES (freshmen included), 61% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $5,618 per year. This is 12.4% higher than the $5,000 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,236 after two years and $22,472 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 61% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,618 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 412 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,314,411 |
The median student at Erie 1 BOCES borrows $7,781 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,781 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Erie 1 BOCES.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,991 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $9,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Erie 1 BOCES.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at Erie 1 BOCES.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 51 | $6,408 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Erie 1 BOCES.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Erie 1 BOCES appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 160 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,495 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,948 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,973 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Erie 1 BOCES.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Important to Remember
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.