by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Cuyahoga Valley Career Center— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At CVCC specifically, 100% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $7,943 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $7,943. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at CVCC, 35% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,008 in federal loans per year. This works out to 24.4% under the freshman federal average of $7,943.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,016 in two years and roughly $24,032 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 35% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,008 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 67 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $402,567 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at CVCC carry a median federal debt of $12,534 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,534 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,964 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 CVCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,650 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $10,992 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $12,964 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at CVCC.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at CVCC.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for CVCC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 78 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,964 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at CVCC.
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.
Did You Know?
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.