by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Manchester 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.
Among first-year students at MCC, 34% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $6,178 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,600. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at MCC, 32% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,396 each per year. It comes to 14.2% more than the $5,600 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,792 in two years and roughly $25,584 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 32% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,396 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 516 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,300,402 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at MCC carry a median federal debt of $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,060 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,450 |
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 MCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,250 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $15,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $25,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at MCC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for MCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 342 | $14,041 |
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at MCC.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 154 | $11,770 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 188 | $18,414 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at MCC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for MCC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1096 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $8,250 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,929 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,775 |
| Independent students | $11,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for MCC.
Subsidized vs. 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.