by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Metro Technology Centers, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Metro Technology Centers, 14% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,552 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $7,552. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at Metro Technology Centers (freshmen included), 10% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $7,764 in federal loans per year. That is 2.8% greater than the first-year federal average of $7,552.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $15,528 over two years and about $31,056 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 10% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,764 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 68 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $527,974 |
The middle borrower at Metro Technology Centers owes $9,140 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,140 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Metro Technology Centers.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $18,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Metro Technology Centers.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Metro Technology Centers.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Metro Technology Centers is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 283 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Metro Technology Centers.
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.
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.