by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Northeastern Junior College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at NJC, 33% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $6,073 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $4,992, which is 90.8% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at NJC, freshmen included, 29% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $5,489 annually. This is 10.0% larger than the $4,992 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $10,978 in two years and roughly $21,956 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 29% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,489 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 261 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,432,721 |
The median student at NJC borrows $5,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,376 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for NJC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,625 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $11,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,678 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at NJC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at NJC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 171 | $9,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 52 | $11,050 |
| Did not complete | 119 | $8,114 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $131.4/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at NJC.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 100 | $8,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 71 | $10,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for NJC.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for NJC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 417 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,940 |
| Middle income | $5,988 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for NJC.
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.
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.