by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Florida Gateway College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at FGC, 15% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $3,841 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $3,803, which is 69.1% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at FGC, 20% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $4,940 a year. That amounts to 29.9% more than the $3,803 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $9,880 in two years and roughly $19,760 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 20% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,940 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 436 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,154,024 |
The middle borrower at FGC owes $5,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $6,992 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,248 |
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 FGC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,485 |
| 25th percentile | $2,030 |
| 75th percentile | $5,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $9,750 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at FGC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for FGC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 73 | $10,740 |
| Completed (graduates) | 30 | $10,123 |
| Did not complete | 43 | $11,173 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $120.37/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 FGC.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 19 | $5,881 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 54 | $13,110 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. FGC.
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 FGC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 292 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,500 |
| Middle income | $5,694 |
| High income | $5,500 |
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 | $6,600 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at FGC.
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
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.