by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Fortis College-Smyrna— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Fortis College - Smyrna, 71% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $7,322 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $7,258. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at Fortis College - Smyrna, freshmen included, 70% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $7,393 per year. That is 1.9% larger than the $7,258 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,786 after two years and $29,572 over a four-year span. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 70% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,393 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 348 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,572,869 |
The median student at Fortis College - Smyrna borrows $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,547 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,334 |
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 Fortis College - Smyrna.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $6,167 |
| 75th percentile | $13,827 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $24,083 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Fortis College - Smyrna.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Fortis College - Smyrna.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 658 | $6,398 |
| Completed (graduates) | 381 | $6,719 |
| Did not complete | 277 | $5,232 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $79.9/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 Fortis College - Smyrna.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 648 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 624 | $6,381 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 34 | $6,537 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Fortis College - Smyrna.
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 Fortis College - Smyrna follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2721 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,643 |
| High income | $9,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,834 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,600 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Fortis College - Smyrna.
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.
Important to Remember
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.