by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Portland Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Portland Community College, 26% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $5,254 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,117, or about 93.0% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Portland Community College, 23% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $5,935 annually. That amounts to 16.0% higher than the $5,117 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $11,870 after two years and $23,740 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 23% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,935 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,145 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $24,601,800 |
The median student at Portland Community College borrows $7,287 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,287 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,999 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,647 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Portland Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,833 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $17,771 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,507 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Portland Community College.
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 Portland Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2144 | $15,649 |
| Completed (graduates) | 242 | $13,853 |
| Did not complete | 1902 | $15,875 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $164.73/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Portland Community College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2095 | $15,681 |
| No Stafford loan | 49 | $12,153 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 853 | $11,838 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1291 | $19,800 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Portland Community College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Portland Community College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 7223 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,875 |
| Middle income | $6,667 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Portland Community College.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.
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.