by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Mesalands Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Mesalands Community College specifically, 10% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $5,950 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,950. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Mesalands Community College, 3% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $5,415 per year. That is 9.0% below the freshman federal average of $5,950.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $10,830 after two years and $21,660 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 3% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,415 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 11 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $59,563 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Mesalands Community College carry a median federal debt of $5,295 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,295 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Mesalands 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.
Important to Remember
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.