by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Ocean County 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 OCC, 7% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $5,175 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,926, representing 89.6% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at OCC, 8% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $5,774 a year. That is 17.2% greater than the freshman federal average of $4,926.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,548 in two years and roughly $23,096 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 | 8% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,774 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 447 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,580,996 |
The median student at OCC borrows $8,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,150 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for OCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $12,163 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at OCC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for OCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 832 | $19,861 |
| Completed (graduates) | 192 | $13,725 |
| Did not complete | 640 | $21,378 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $163.2/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at OCC.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 802 | $20,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 30 | $11,476 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 200 | $15,550 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 632 | $21,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at OCC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for OCC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1192 |
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 | $9,000 |
| Middle income | $8,250 |
| High income | $8,250 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,451 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,812 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,750 |
| Independent students | $10,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at OCC.
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
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.