by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain— 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.
At UA Rich Mountain specifically, 21% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $6,350 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,635. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at UA Rich Mountain, 18% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,248 annually. That amounts to 10.9% greater than the $5,635 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,496 by year two and around $24,992 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 18% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,248 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 87 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $543,552 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UA Rich Mountain carry a median federal debt of $4,875 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,875 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $6,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UA Rich Mountain.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UA Rich Mountain appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 0 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $6,000 |
| Middle income | $4,500 |
| High income | $4,020 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,950 |
| Independent students | $8,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UA Rich Mountain.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.
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.