by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Jefferson State Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Jeff State, 25% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $3,041 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $3,041, or about 55.3% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at Jeff State (freshmen included), 47% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $4,395 in federal loans per year. This works out to 44.5% larger than the $3,041 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $8,790 in two years and roughly $17,580 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,395 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,554 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $11,225,515 |
The middle borrower at Jeff State owes $4,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,689 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,500 |
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 Jeff State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,250 |
| 75th percentile | $7,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $12,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Jeff State.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Jeff State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 775 | $14,944 |
| Completed (graduates) | 123 | $12,000 |
| Did not complete | 652 | $15,460 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $142.69/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Jeff State.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 764 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 285 | $12,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 490 | $16,850 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Jeff State.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Jeff State appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1104 |
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 | $3,500 |
| Middle income | $4,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $4,418 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,286 |
| Independent students | $4,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Jeff State.
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
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.