by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Bellus Academy - National City, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Bellus Academy, 89% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $8,871 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $7,339. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Bellus Academy, 59% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $7,033 a year. This works out to 4.2% smaller than the first-year federal average of $7,339.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,066 over two years and about $28,132 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 59% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,033 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 398 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,799,049 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Bellus Academy carry a median federal debt of $6,333 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,333 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,917 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,603 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Bellus Academy.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,519 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $15,639 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $18,970 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Bellus Academy.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Bellus Academy.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 94 | $4,688 |
| Completed (graduates) | 58 | $5,116 |
| Did not complete | 36 | $3,389 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $60.83/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Bellus Academy.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Bellus Academy follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 162 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,333 |
| Middle income | $6,333 |
| High income | $10,556 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,333 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,133 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,513 |
| Independent students | $6,333 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Bellus Academy.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.