by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Marion Technical College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at MTC, 23% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $3,489 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $3,375, amounting to 61.4% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Counting every undergraduate at MTC, 18% take out federal student loans, averaging $4,220 each per year. It comes to 25.0% above the first-year federal average of $3,375.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $8,440 in two years and roughly $16,880 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 18% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,220 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 240 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,012,780 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at MTC 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) | $8,300 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,760 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for MTC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,500 |
| 25th percentile | $2,544 |
| 75th percentile | $10,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,213 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at MTC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for MTC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 112 | $11,110 |
| Completed (graduates) | 32 | $12,338 |
| Did not complete | 80 | $10,800 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $146.71/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at MTC.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 46 | $10,591 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 66 | $11,318 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. MTC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for MTC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 14.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 544 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,000 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,912 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,400 |
| Independent students | $6,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at MTC.
The Difference Between 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.
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.