by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Pikes Peak State College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at PPCC, 18% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $4,092 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $3,718, amounting to 67.6% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at PPCC, 19% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $3,920 in federal loans per year. That is 5.4% higher than the $3,718 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $7,840 across two years and $15,680 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 | 19% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,920 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,789 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,012,279 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at PPCC carry a median federal debt of $4,900 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,900 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,492 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for PPCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,250 |
| 75th percentile | $9,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,250 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at PPCC.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at PPCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1066 | $11,134 |
| Completed (graduates) | 105 | $9,783 |
| Did not complete | 961 | $11,381 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $116.33/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 PPCC.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1031 | $11,121 |
| No Stafford loan | 35 | $11,440 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 430 | $9,734 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 636 | $12,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at PPCC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for PPCC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 18.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2870 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,250 |
| Middle income | $4,542 |
| High income | $4,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,020 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,500 |
| Independent students | $5,250 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for PPCC.
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.