by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Florence-Darlington Technical College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Florence-Darlington Technical College, 9% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $4,818 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,695, equal to roughly 85.4% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at Florence-Darlington Technical College, freshmen included, 14% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $4,770 a year. That is 1.6% more than the $4,695 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $9,540 in two years and roughly $19,080 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 14% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,770 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 400 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,907,831 |
The middle borrower at Florence-Darlington Technical College owes $6,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,334 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Florence-Darlington Technical College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,700 |
| 25th percentile | $2,853 |
| 75th percentile | $14,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,101 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Florence-Darlington Technical College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Florence-Darlington Technical College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 328 | $8,909 |
| Completed (graduates) | 30 | $7,943 |
| Did not complete | 298 | $8,995 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $94.45/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Florence-Darlington Technical College.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 116 | $7,050 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 212 | $9,737 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Florence-Darlington Technical College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Florence-Darlington Technical College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 965 |
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 | $8,000 |
| Middle income | $6,192 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,029 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Florence-Darlington Technical 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.
Important to Remember
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.