by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend College of the Siskiyous: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at College of the Siskiyous, 16% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $4,963 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,963, equal to roughly 90.2% 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.
Counting every undergraduate at College of the Siskiyous, 9% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $6,439 in federal loans per year. This is 29.7% above the $4,963 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,878 by year two and around $25,756 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 9% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,439 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 100 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $643,932 |
The middle borrower at College of the Siskiyous owes $8,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,240 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for College of the Siskiyous.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,248 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,520 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at College of the Siskiyous.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for College of the Siskiyous.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 82 | $10,090 |
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at College of the Siskiyous.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 39 | $9,500 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 43 | $14,858 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at College of the Siskiyous.
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 College of the Siskiyous follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 21.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 397 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,378 |
| Middle income | $8,875 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,763 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for College of the Siskiyous.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Worth Knowing
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.