by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Luzerne County Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Luzerne County Community College, 44% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $4,039 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $3,554, equal to roughly 64.6% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at Luzerne County Community College, 38% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, for a typical $3,958 each per year. That amounts to 11.4% higher than the $3,554 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $7,916 by year two and around $15,832 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 38% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,958 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,242 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,915,246 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Luzerne County Community College carry a median federal debt of $5,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Luzerne County Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,813 |
| 75th percentile | $9,600 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Luzerne County Community College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Luzerne County Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 606 | $13,031 |
| Completed (graduates) | 109 | $9,688 |
| Did not complete | 497 | $14,500 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $115.2/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Luzerne County Community College.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 292 | $8,944 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 314 | $18,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Luzerne County 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 Luzerne County Community College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1289 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,781 |
| Middle income | $5,750 |
| High income | $5,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $5,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Luzerne County Community College.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.