by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend McLennan Community 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 MCC, 18% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $3,400 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $3,309, which is 60.2% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at MCC, 29% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $3,912 in federal loans per year. This works out to 18.2% larger than the $3,309 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $7,824 in two years and roughly $15,648 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 | 29% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,912 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,458 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,703,609 |
The middle borrower at MCC owes $6,136 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,136 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,250 |
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 MCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $12,788 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $24,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at MCC.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at MCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 585 | $16,124 |
| Completed (graduates) | 89 | $10,500 |
| Did not complete | 496 | $17,205 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $124.86/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at MCC.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 565 | $16,177 |
| No Stafford loan | 20 | $15,257 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 203 | $9,293 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 382 | $23,732 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for 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 appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 19.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2447 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,752 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,250 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,255 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,250 |
| Independent students | $7,043 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at 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.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.