by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Highland Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Highland Community College specifically, 5% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $3,815 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $3,815, amounting to 69.4% 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at Highland Community College, freshmen included, 8% take out federal student loans, at an average of $4,583 each per year. That amounts to 20.1% higher than the $3,815 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $9,166 after two years and $18,332 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 8% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,583 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 71 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $325,364 |
The middle borrower at Highland Community College owes $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,029 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
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 Highland Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,400 |
| 25th percentile | $2,265 |
| 75th percentile | $8,854 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $13,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Highland Community College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Highland Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 74 | $10,034 |
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Highland Community College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 14 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 60 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Highland 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 official Department of Education two-year default rate for Highland Community College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 16.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 243 |
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 | $5,282 |
| Middle income | $5,000 |
| High income | $6,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,498 |
| Independent students | $6,104 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Highland 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
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.