by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Florida State College at Jacksonville: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At FSCJ, 20% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $6,497 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $6,255. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to 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 FSCJ, 22% take out federal student loans, at an average of $7,135 per year. This works out to 14.1% higher than the $6,255 borrowed by freshmen.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,270 after two years and $28,540 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 22% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,135 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,864 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $27,568,295 |
The median student at FSCJ borrows $8,750 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,562 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,000 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 FSCJ.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,936 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $14,405 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $24,575 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at FSCJ.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at FSCJ.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1312 | $10,200 |
| Completed (graduates) | 335 | $8,850 |
| Did not complete | 977 | $10,673 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $105.24/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at FSCJ.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1272 | $10,217 |
| No Stafford loan | 40 | $9,930 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 485 | $9,011 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 827 | $11,687 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at FSCJ.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for FSCJ follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3932 |
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 | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $7,768 |
| High income | $6,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,145 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,296 |
| Independent students | $10,135 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for FSCJ.
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.
Did You Know?
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.