by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend The College of the Florida Keys— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At CFK specifically, 35% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $5,408 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,408, representing 98.3% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at CFK, 33% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $7,575 in federal loans per year. It comes to 40.1% higher than the freshman federal average of $5,408.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $15,150 over two years and about $30,300 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 33% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,575 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 273 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,067,919 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at CFK carry a median federal debt of $8,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,572 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 CFK.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $10,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,125 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at CFK.
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 CFK.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 52 | $10,401 |
| Completed (graduates) | 22 | $7,475 |
| Did not complete | 30 | $10,782 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $88.89/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 CFK.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 27 | $12,492 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 25 | $8,059 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for CFK.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for CFK follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 161 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,352 |
| Middle income | $7,750 |
| High income | $6,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,922 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
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 CFK.
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.
Did You Know?
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.