by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Northeast Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Northeast specifically, 32% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $4,821 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,608, or about 83.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Northeast, freshmen included, 28% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $5,002 in federal loans per year. This works out to 8.6% greater than the $4,608 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $10,004 by year two and around $20,008 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 28% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,002 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 705 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,526,678 |
The median student at Northeast borrows $7,244 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,244 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Northeast.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,893 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,211 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Northeast.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Northeast.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 361 | $8,510 |
| Completed (graduates) | 153 | $9,000 |
| Did not complete | 208 | $8,392 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $107.02/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Northeast.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 262 | $8,207 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 99 | $11,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Northeast.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Northeast is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 826 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,554 |
| Middle income | $6,698 |
| High income | $7,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,383 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,920 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Northeast.
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.
Did You Know?
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.