by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Hawaii Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Hawaii CC specifically, 4% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $4,805 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,805, amounting to 87.4% 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Hawaii CC, 8% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,223 each per year. This is 29.5% above the first-year federal average of $4,805.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,446 in two years and roughly $24,892 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 8% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,223 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 123 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $765,415 |
The median student at Hawaii CC borrows $6,101 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,101 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,467 |
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 Hawaii CC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,037 |
| 75th percentile | $11,034 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Hawaii CC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Hawaii CC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 93 | $17,802 |
| Completed (graduates) | 26 | $17,901 |
| Did not complete | 67 | $17,744 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $212.86/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Hawaii CC.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 12 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 81 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Hawaii CC.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Hawaii CC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 19.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 188 |
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 | $7,813 |
| Middle income | $5,750 |
| High income | $4,653 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,000 |
| Independent students | $9,249 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Hawaii CC.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.