by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Pennsylvania Highlands Community College— 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.
Looking at the entering class at Pennsylvania Highlands, 54% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $5,247 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,053, equal to roughly 91.9% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at Pennsylvania Highlands, freshmen included, 42% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $5,364 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 6.2% higher than the $5,053 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $10,728 after two years and $21,456 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 | 42% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,364 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 301 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,614,592 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Pennsylvania Highlands carry a median federal debt of $6,211 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,211 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,377 |
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 Pennsylvania Highlands.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,516 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $8,979 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $13,362 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Pennsylvania Highlands.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Pennsylvania Highlands.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 190 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 41 | $8,000 |
| Did not complete | 149 | $13,173 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $95.13/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 Pennsylvania Highlands.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 94 | $9,834 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 96 | $16,215 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Pennsylvania Highlands.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Pennsylvania Highlands follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 435 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $5,671 |
| Middle income | $6,544 |
| High income | $6,212 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,242 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,125 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $7,663 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Pennsylvania Highlands.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.