by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Southern State 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.
Looking at the entering class at Southern State Community College, 28% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $4,721 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,742, representing 86.2% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Southern State Community College, 35% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,057 each per year. That is 27.7% greater than the $4,742 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,114 in two years and roughly $24,228 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 35% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,057 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 264 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,598,990 |
The median student at Southern State Community College borrows $7,433 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,433 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,457 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,721 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Southern State Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,398 |
| 25th percentile | $2,872 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $19,265 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Southern State Community College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Southern State Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 86 | $11,062 |
| Completed (graduates) | 22 | $7,885 |
| Did not complete | 64 | $12,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $93.76/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Southern State Community College.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 51 | $9,888 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 35 | $12,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Southern State Community 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 federal two-year cohort default rate for Southern State Community College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 22.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1159 |
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 | $7,148 |
| Middle income | $7,617 |
| High income | $7,682 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,426 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,570 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,286 |
| Independent students | $8,273 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Southern State Community College.
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
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.