by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Parkland 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 Parkland College specifically, 23% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $4,379 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $3,191, representing 58.0% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
For undergraduates overall at Parkland College, 19% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $3,318 per year. That amounts to 4.0% above the freshman federal average of $3,191.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $6,636 across two years and $13,272 across a four-year program. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 19% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,318 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 625 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,073,672 |
The median student at Parkland College borrows $5,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,548 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Parkland College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,250 |
| 75th percentile | $8,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $12,124 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Parkland College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Parkland College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 722 | $16,178 |
| Completed (graduates) | 98 | $12,820 |
| Did not complete | 624 | $16,882 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $152.44/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Parkland College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 697 | $16,300 |
| No Stafford loan | 25 | $15,918 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 286 | $11,926 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 436 | $22,069 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Parkland College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Parkland College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1800 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,900 |
| Middle income | $5,250 |
| High income | $5,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,250 |
| Independent students | $5,250 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Parkland College.
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.
Did You Know?
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.