by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Great Basin College— 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.
At Great Basin College specifically, 11% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $5,839 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $6,006. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Great Basin College, 7% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $7,082 annually. This is 17.9% more than the first-year federal average of $6,006.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,164 after two years and $28,328 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 7% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,082 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 142 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,005,622 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Great Basin College carry a median federal debt of $8,973 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,973 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Great Basin College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,539 |
| 75th percentile | $14,350 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,250 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Great Basin College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Great Basin College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 141 | $9,720 |
| Completed (graduates) | 25 | $8,000 |
| Did not complete | 116 | $11,491 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $95.13/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 Great Basin College.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 21 | $4,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 120 | $11,676 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Great Basin College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Great Basin College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 235 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,184 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $9,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,987 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Great Basin College.
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.
Important to Remember
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.