by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Grand Rapids 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.
For incoming students at Grand Rapids Community College, 18% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $3,879 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $3,645, representing 66.3% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. 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 Grand Rapids Community College, 16% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $4,015 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 10.2% greater than the $3,645 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $8,030 across two years and $16,060 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 16% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,015 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,718 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,897,732 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Grand Rapids Community College carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,375 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Grand Rapids Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,411 |
| 25th percentile | $2,250 |
| 75th percentile | $9,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,528 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Grand Rapids Community College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Grand Rapids Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 909 | $11,745 |
| Completed (graduates) | 228 | $11,350 |
| Did not complete | 681 | $11,817 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $134.96/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Grand Rapids Community College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 891 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 18 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 493 | $11,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 416 | $12,500 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Grand Rapids Community College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Grand Rapids Community College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4267 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,250 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,375 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,250 |
| Independent students | $5,501 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Grand Rapids Community College.
The Difference Between 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
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.