by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Henry Ford 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.
At Henry Ford College, 22% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $4,707 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,645, equal to roughly 84.5% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Henry Ford College, 22% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $5,646 annually. This is 21.6% above the freshman federal average of $4,645.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,292 across two years and $22,584 after four. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 22% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,646 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,906 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,760,715 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Henry Ford College carry a median federal debt of $7,300 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,300 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,867 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Henry Ford College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,790 |
| 25th percentile | $3,492 |
| 75th percentile | $14,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,787 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Henry Ford College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Henry Ford College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 567 | $9,356 |
| Completed (graduates) | 115 | $8,341 |
| Did not complete | 452 | $9,403 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $99.18/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Henry Ford College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 357 | $8,729 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 210 | $10,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Henry Ford College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Henry Ford College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 19.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4768 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,452 |
| Middle income | $6,742 |
| High income | $7,300 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,252 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,688 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Henry Ford 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.
Did You Know?
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.