by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Pennco Tech-Bristol— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Pennco Tech-Bristol specifically, 72% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $9,455 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $9,266. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Pennco Tech-Bristol, 62% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $7,760 annually. This is 16.3% smaller than the first-year federal average of $9,266.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $15,520 by year two and around $31,040 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 | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,760 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 687 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,330,816 |
The median student at Pennco Tech-Bristol borrows $6,333 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,333 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,917 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Pennco Tech-Bristol.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $4,857 |
| 75th percentile | $10,200 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Pennco Tech-Bristol.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Pennco Tech-Bristol.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 175 | $7,795 |
| Completed (graduates) | 136 | $8,229 |
| Did not complete | 39 | $5,027 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $97.85/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Pennco Tech-Bristol.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Pennco Tech-Bristol appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 574 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,657 |
| Middle income | $6,333 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,333 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,125 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Pennco Tech-Bristol.
The Difference Between 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
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.