by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Northeast Alabama Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Northeast, 16% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $3,212 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $3,212, which is 58.4% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Northeast, 22% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $3,642 in federal loans per year. This is 13.4% larger than the $3,212 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $7,284 in two years and roughly $14,568 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 22% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,642 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 347 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,263,861 |
The middle borrower at Northeast owes $4,400 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,400 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $6,100 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Northeast.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,100 |
| 25th percentile | $1,750 |
| 75th percentile | $5,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $9,200 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Northeast.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Northeast.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 48 | $10,368 |
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Northeast.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 14 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 34 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Northeast.
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 Northeast follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 17.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 403 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $3,500 |
| Middle income | $3,500 |
| High income | $5,850 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $3,913 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,710 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,394 |
| Independent students | $4,450 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Northeast.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.