by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Howard 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 HCC, 9% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $5,380 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,050, representing 91.8% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at HCC, 9% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $6,130 in federal loans per year. This works out to 21.4% larger than the freshman federal average of $5,050.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,260 over two years and about $24,520 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 9% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,130 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 628 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,849,885 |
The median student at HCC borrows $8,250 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,000 |
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 HCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,700 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $10,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $19,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at HCC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for HCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 759 | $17,501 |
| Completed (graduates) | 100 | $18,215 |
| Did not complete | 659 | $17,499 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $216.6/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 HCC.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 720 | $17,563 |
| No Stafford loan | 39 | $15,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 188 | $14,908 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 571 | $19,001 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at HCC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for HCC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 549 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $7,719 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,585 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,936 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at HCC.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Important to Remember
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.