by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Finger Lakes Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Finger Lakes Community College specifically, 51% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $5,872 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,382, which is 97.9% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at Finger Lakes Community College, 48% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,031 a year. This is 12.1% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,382.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,062 by year two and around $24,124 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 48% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,031 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,390 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,382,544 |
The median student at Finger Lakes Community College borrows $8,250 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,975 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,676 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Finger Lakes Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,609 |
| 25th percentile | $4,028 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $19,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Finger Lakes Community College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Finger Lakes Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 482 | $12,825 |
| Completed (graduates) | 61 | $10,778 |
| Did not complete | 421 | $13,370 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $128.16/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Finger Lakes Community College.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 226 | $8,989 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 256 | $20,053 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Finger Lakes 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. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Finger Lakes Community College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1620 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,000 |
| Middle income | $8,047 |
| High income | $6,277 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,651 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Finger Lakes Community College.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Worth Knowing
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.