by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Oakton 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 Oakton Community College specifically, 1% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $4,021 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,021, which is 73.1% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. 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 Oakton Community College (freshmen included), 0% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $3,469 a year. This works out to 13.7% below the $4,021 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $6,938 after two years and $13,876 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 0% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,469 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 24 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $83,247 |
The middle borrower at Oakton Community College owes $3,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $3,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $5,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Oakton Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,313 |
| 25th percentile | $2,166 |
| 75th percentile | $5,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $10,750 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Oakton Community College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Oakton Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1247 | $20,026 |
| Completed (graduates) | 152 | $17,444 |
| Did not complete | 1095 | $20,450 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $207.43/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Oakton Community College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1188 | $20,224 |
| No Stafford loan | 59 | $18,545 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 30 | $16,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1217 | $20,187 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Oakton Community College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Oakton Community College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 155 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $3,500 |
| Middle income | $3,500 |
| High income | $5,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $3,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $3,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,500 |
| Independent students | $3,828 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Oakton Community College.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Worth Knowing
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.