by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Presbyterian College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At PC specifically, 61% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,506 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $5,495, equal to roughly 99.9% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at PC, 53% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,135 each per year. That amounts to 11.6% above the $5,495 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,270 across two years and $24,540 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 | 53% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,135 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 456 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,797,655 |
The median student at PC borrows $13,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,563 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for PC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,894 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at PC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at PC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 181 | $16,764 |
| Completed (graduates) | 91 | $26,491 |
| Did not complete | 90 | $15,236 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $315.01/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at PC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for PC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 208 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,722 |
| Middle income | $14,697 |
| High income | $13,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at PC.
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.