Debt Ratios to Pair with Completion Tables
Part 7 finish rates and Part 8 debt burdens tell different stories — counselors should pair both before quoting affordability.
Counselors often quote completion rates from Part 7. Part 8 adds whether graduates borrowed heavily relative to pay. This brief pairs both columns at the pathway level so advising tables do not treat finish rates as a proxy for affordability.
- Part 7 (completion) measures whether first-time full-time students finish within 150% of normal time.
- Part 8 (debt) tracks median federal loans among borrowers who graduated.
- A campus can finish students on time while graduates still carry heavy debt — or the reverse.
- See S-4 for completion vs. pay in certificate schools.
- Assumption
- A high completion rate means graduates are in a strong financial position.
- Question
- When Utah completion medians and debt-to-pay ratios are read together, where do finish rates and borrowing diverge?
- Evidence
- College Scorecard Parts 7 and 8 · 41 institutions with debt data
- Finding
- USHE technical colleges median 79.0% completion; for-profit medians 49.7% with $8K debt. Debt burdens span 7% to 89%.
- Limits
- Completion is first-time full-time only; debt is among borrowers who graduated.
Pathway medians: cost, debt, pay, completion
| Pathway | Net price ($0–$30k) | Median debt | Typical pay (6 yr) | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USHE community college | $7K | $4K | $38K | 45.8% |
| USHE four-year | $10K | $9K | $46K | 52.7% |
| For-profit | $19K | $8K | $25K | 49.7% |
| Private nonprofit | $12K | $8K | $53K | 46.2% |
Source: Pathways & Outcomes analysis · College Scorecard C150 + DEBT_MDN
High completion does not guarantee low debt — pair Part 7 and Part 8 before advising on borrowing.
| Institution | Median debt | Typical pay (10 yr) | Debt % of pay | Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Careers Unlimited | $27K | $31K | 89% | for_profit |
| Provo College | $24K | $40K | 61% | for_profit |
| Eagle Gate College-Murray | $20K | $38K | 53% | for_profit |
| Eagle Gate College-Layton | $20K | $38K | 53% | for_profit |
| Taylor Andrews Academy-St George | $7K | $17K | 40% | for_profit |
| Nightingale College | $10K | $27K | 39% | for_profit |
What this means for you
- Quote both completion and debt % of pay when families ask whether a campus is affordable.
- Worst burden in Part 8: Careers Unlimited (89%); best: Ensign College (7%).
- Cross-link S-7 for student-facing debt framing.
Updated 2026-06-29. Sources: College Scorecard Parts 7 and 8. Backlog C-5 · counselors.
Pathways & Outcomes original analysis; cite the report and link to the primary URL. Data vintage: College Scorecard Parts 7 + 8.
APA: Pathways and Outcomes. (2026). Debt Ratios to Pair with Completion Tables. https://pathwaysandoutcomes.org/utah/research/debt-ratios-with-completion-tables/
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