by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Salem Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Salem County College, 11% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $5,532 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,093, amounting to 92.6% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Salem County College, 14% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,282 each per year. That is 23.3% above the $5,093 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,564 in two years and roughly $25,128 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 | 14% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,282 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 132 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $829,263 |
The median student at Salem County College borrows $8,250 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,793 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Salem County College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,403 |
| 25th percentile | $4,500 |
| 75th percentile | $13,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Salem County College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Salem County College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 65 | $10,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 25 | $14,681 |
| Did not complete | 40 | $9,690 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $174.57/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 Salem County College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 19 | $7,866 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 46 | $11,500 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Salem County College.
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 Salem County College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 178 |
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 | $8,521 |
| Middle income | $6,400 |
| High income | $8,966 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,300 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,625 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Salem County College.
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
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.