by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Erie Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Erie Community College, 32% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $5,671 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,518. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Erie Community College, 30% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $5,877 each per year. This is 6.5% larger than the $5,518 borrowed by freshmen.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,754 in two years and roughly $23,508 over a four-year span. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 30% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,877 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,761 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,349,876 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Erie Community College carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Erie Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,157 |
| 25th percentile | $2,591 |
| 75th percentile | $8,991 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $13,802 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Erie Community College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Erie Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 927 | $10,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 154 | $10,396 |
| Did not complete | 773 | $10,600 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $123.62/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Erie Community College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 414 | $8,602 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 513 | $12,515 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Erie Community College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Erie Community College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 14.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3294 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,999 |
| Middle income | $5,466 |
| High income | $6,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $6,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Erie Community College.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Worth Knowing
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.