by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Honolulu Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Honolulu CC, 6% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $4,842 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,842, equal to roughly 88.0% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Honolulu CC, freshmen included, 7% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $6,362 per year. That is 31.4% more than the $4,842 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,724 after two years and $25,448 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 | 7% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,362 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 142 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $903,378 |
The median student at Honolulu CC borrows $5,995 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,995 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,534 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 Honolulu CC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,488 |
| 75th percentile | $10,193 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Honolulu CC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Honolulu CC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 146 | $17,333 |
| Completed (graduates) | 70 | $17,486 |
| Did not complete | 76 | $14,623 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $207.93/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Honolulu CC.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 136 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 16 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 130 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Honolulu CC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Honolulu CC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 111 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,613 |
| Middle income | $5,110 |
| High income | $4,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,405 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,500 |
| Independent students | $8,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Honolulu CC.
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.