by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Amarillo College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Amarillo College, 6% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $3,710 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $3,690, equal to roughly 67.1% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Amarillo College, freshmen included, 16% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $4,841 each per year. This is 31.2% more than the freshman federal average of $3,690.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $9,682 in two years and roughly $19,364 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 16% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,841 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,146 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,548,018 |
The median student at Amarillo College borrows $9,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,778 |
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 Amarillo College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,986 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $12,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,790 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Amarillo College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Amarillo College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 228 | $12,028 |
| Completed (graduates) | 56 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 172 | $13,299 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $118.91/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Amarillo College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 216 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 69 | $9,700 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 159 | $13,732 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Amarillo College.
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 Amarillo College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 16.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1309 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,309 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $6,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,234 |
| Independent students | $12,467 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Amarillo College.
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.