by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Gateway Community and Technical 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 Gateway, 9% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $5,276 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,276, which is 95.9% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. 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 Gateway, 19% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,131 per year. That is 16.2% greater than the $5,276 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,262 in two years and roughly $24,524 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 19% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,131 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 523 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,206,600 |
The median student at Gateway borrows $8,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,711 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,579 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Gateway.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,577 |
| 75th percentile | $16,912 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,495 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Gateway.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Gateway.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 316 | $9,372 |
| Completed (graduates) | 123 | $9,000 |
| Did not complete | 193 | $9,519 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $107.02/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 Gateway.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 96 | $7,714 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 220 | $10,057 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Gateway.
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 Gateway follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 23.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1199 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,745 |
| Middle income | $7,491 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,214 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,914 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,129 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Gateway.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.