by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At RCSJ, 75% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $6,142 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,833. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at RCSJ, 62% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $7,067 each per year. This is 21.2% greater than the $5,833 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,134 by year two and around $28,268 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,067 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,721 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $19,230,562 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at RCSJ carry a median federal debt of $7,664 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,664 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,000 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 RCSJ.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,774 |
| 25th percentile | $3,025 |
| 75th percentile | $10,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,248 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at RCSJ.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for RCSJ.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 659 | $15,809 |
| Completed (graduates) | 108 | $13,000 |
| Did not complete | 551 | $16,554 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $154.58/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 RCSJ.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 637 | $15,885 |
| No Stafford loan | 22 | $10,013 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 305 | $13,391 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 354 | $19,814 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. RCSJ.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for RCSJ is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 665 |
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 | $7,171 |
| Middle income | $6,653 |
| High income | $8,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,548 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,378 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at RCSJ.
Subsidized and 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.
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.