by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for National Polytechnic 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 NPCollege specifically, 72% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,043 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $7,043. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Across the full undergraduate body at NPCollege (freshmen included), 63% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $7,200 in federal loans per year. This is 2.2% greater than the first-year federal average of $7,043.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $14,400 across two years and $28,800 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 63% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,200 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 336 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,419,232 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at NPCollege carry a median federal debt of $13,798 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,798 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $16,098 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,675 |
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 NPCollege.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,776 |
| 25th percentile | $8,865 |
| 75th percentile | $19,038 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,444 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at NPCollege.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for NPCollege.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 22 | $4,550 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at NPCollege.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for NPCollege follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 228 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,054 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,083 |
| Independent students | $13,645 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at NPCollege.
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.
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.