by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Prince George’s Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at PGCC, 15% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, at roughly $5,207 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,104, equal to roughly 92.8% 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.
Counting every undergraduate at PGCC, 16% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $5,942 a year. That is 16.4% more than the $5,104 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,884 across two years and $23,768 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 | 16% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,942 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,314 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,808,160 |
The middle borrower at PGCC owes $6,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for PGCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,476 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at PGCC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for PGCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1073 | $17,064 |
| Completed (graduates) | 144 | $17,157 |
| Did not complete | 929 | $17,046 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $204.01/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at PGCC.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1041 | $17,046 |
| No Stafford loan | 32 | $19,848 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 315 | $14,069 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 758 | $19,609 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. PGCC.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for PGCC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1378 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,000 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,935 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at PGCC.
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?
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.