by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Fort Scott Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at FSCC, 47% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $2,112 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $2,112, equal to roughly 38.4% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at FSCC, 48% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $2,772 per year. That amounts to 31.2% higher than the $2,112 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $5,544 by year two and around $11,088 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 48% |
| Average federal loan per year | $2,772 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 355 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $984,219 |
The middle borrower at FSCC owes $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for FSCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,765 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,250 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at FSCC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at FSCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 61 | $9,221 |
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at FSCC.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 16 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 45 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at FSCC.
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 FSCC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 14.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 454 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $4,931 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,158 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,220 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at FSCC.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.