by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey: 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.
At Union County College, 4% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $4,859 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,644, or about 84.4% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at Union County College, freshmen included, 7% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $5,897 each per year. That is 27.0% greater than the freshman federal average of $4,644.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $11,794 over two years and about $23,588 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 7% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,897 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 531 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,131,072 |
The median student at Union County College borrows $8,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,091 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
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 Union County College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $11,754 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,250 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Union County College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Union County College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 701 | $12,296 |
| Completed (graduates) | 164 | $10,567 |
| Did not complete | 537 | $13,185 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $125.65/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Union County College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 689 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 196 | $9,748 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 505 | $14,998 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Union 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. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Union County College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 910 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,003 |
| Middle income | $9,243 |
| High income | $6,650 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,920 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Union County College.
The Difference Between 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.
Did You Know?
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.