by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Great Falls College Montana State University— 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 Falls College Montana State University specifically, 37% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $5,357 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,357, representing 97.4% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Great Falls College Montana State University, 47% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $6,221 annually. That is 16.1% more than the $5,357 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,442 in two years and roughly $24,884 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,221 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 393 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,444,837 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Great Falls College Montana State University carry a median federal debt of $7,992 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,992 |
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Great Falls College Montana State University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $16,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $26,978 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Great Falls College Montana State University.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Great Falls College Montana State University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 104 | $9,587 |
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Great Falls College Montana State University.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 67 | $7,525 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 37 | $10,018 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Great Falls College Montana State University.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Great Falls College Montana State University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 695 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $7,376 |
| High income | $6,418 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,788 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,751 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Great Falls College Montana State University.
The Difference Between 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.
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.