by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Virginia Peninsula 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.
At TNCC, 8% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $5,600 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,806, which is 87.4% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at TNCC, freshmen included, 9% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,070 in federal loans per year. This works out to 26.3% larger than the $4,806 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,140 over two years and about $24,280 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 | 9% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,070 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 332 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,015,090 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at TNCC carry a median federal debt of $7,130 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,130 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 TNCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,294 |
| 75th percentile | $13,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $24,050 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at TNCC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at TNCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 663 | $14,334 |
| Completed (graduates) | 110 | $10,263 |
| Did not complete | 553 | $14,902 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $122.04/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 TNCC.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 635 | $14,434 |
| No Stafford loan | 28 | $12,113 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 175 | $10,906 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 488 | $15,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at TNCC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for TNCC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1179 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $6,760 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,700 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for TNCC.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.