by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Generations 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.
Among first-year students at MacCormac, 13% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, at roughly $1,750 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $1,750, equal to roughly 31.8% 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at MacCormac (freshmen included), 23% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $3,957 each per year. This is 126.1% more than the $1,750 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $7,914 by year two and around $15,828 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 23% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,957 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 72 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $284,926 |
The median student at MacCormac borrows $19,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $14,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for MacCormac.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $28,076 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,321 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at MacCormac.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at MacCormac.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 24 | $10,399 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for MacCormac.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for MacCormac follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 97 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,855 |
| Independent students | $19,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for MacCormac.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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
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.