by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Heartland Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Heartland Community College, 12% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $5,060 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,693, which is 85.3% 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at Heartland Community College (freshmen included), 12% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $4,583 each per year. That amounts to 2.3% lower than the $4,693 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $9,166 in two years and roughly $18,332 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 12% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,583 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 360 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,649,917 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Heartland Community College carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,826 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
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 Heartland Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $8,739 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $12,642 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Heartland Community College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Heartland Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 475 | $17,697 |
| Completed (graduates) | 85 | $17,000 |
| Did not complete | 390 | $17,965 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $202.15/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 Heartland Community College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 462 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 13 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 128 | $14,908 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 347 | $20,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Heartland Community College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Heartland Community College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 308 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,856 |
| Middle income | $4,500 |
| High income | $6,098 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $5,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Heartland Community College.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.