by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Hennepin Technical College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Hennepin Technical College, 25% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $5,739 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,452, or about 99.1% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at Hennepin Technical College (freshmen included), 27% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $6,907 each per year. This is 26.7% above the freshman federal average of $5,452.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,814 by year two and around $27,628 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 27% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,907 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 761 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,255,915 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Hennepin Technical College carry a median federal debt of $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,433 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,448 |
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 Hennepin Technical College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,042 |
| 75th percentile | $19,812 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,501 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Hennepin Technical College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Hennepin Technical College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 198 | $9,994 |
| Completed (graduates) | 81 | $9,824 |
| Did not complete | 117 | $10,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $116.82/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 Hennepin Technical College.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 86 | $9,446 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 112 | $10,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Hennepin Technical 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 official Department of Education two-year default rate for Hennepin Technical College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1861 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,000 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $8,708 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,399 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,500 |
| Independent students | $11,179 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Hennepin Technical 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
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.