by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Fulton-Montgomery Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At FM, 31% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $5,426 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $5,101, equal to roughly 92.7% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at FM (freshmen included), 30% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,130 a year. That amounts to 20.2% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,101.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,260 across two years and $24,520 across a four-year program. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 30% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,130 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 298 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,826,653 |
The middle borrower at FM owes $8,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,125 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,000 |
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 FM.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,314 |
| 25th percentile | $4,083 |
| 75th percentile | $13,200 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,768 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at FM.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at FM.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 131 | $8,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 34 | $7,986 |
| Did not complete | 97 | $8,505 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $94.96/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 FM.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 92 | $7,986 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 39 | $8,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for FM.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for FM follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 743 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,666 |
| Middle income | $8,746 |
| High income | $8,250 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,161 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,683 |
| Independent students | $10,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for FM.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.