by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Community College of Baltimore County: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at CCBC, 11% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $4,925 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,440, amounting to 80.7% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at CCBC, freshmen included, 11% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $6,868 annually. This is 54.7% larger than the $4,440 borrowed by freshmen.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,736 after two years and $27,472 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 | 11% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,868 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,497 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,281,833 |
The median student at CCBC borrows $8,251 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,251 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,528 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,266 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at CCBC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,400 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at CCBC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at CCBC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2358 | $15,196 |
| Completed (graduates) | 313 | $14,310 |
| Did not complete | 2045 | $15,430 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $170.16/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at CCBC.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2272 | $15,345 |
| No Stafford loan | 86 | $13,423 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 638 | $11,010 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1720 | $17,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for CCBC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for CCBC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2303 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $8,041 |
| High income | $5,625 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CCBC.
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.