by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for American Academy of Cosmetology: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At American Academy of Cosmetology specifically, 53% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $5,387 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,387, representing 97.9% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at American Academy of Cosmetology, 63% take out federal student loans, for a typical $5,275 annually. That is 2.1% smaller than the $5,387 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $10,550 over two years and about $21,100 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 63% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,275 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 96 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $506,407 |
The middle borrower at American Academy of Cosmetology owes $6,333 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,333 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,638 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at American Academy of Cosmetology.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,200 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $12,141 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $13,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at American Academy of Cosmetology.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for American Academy of Cosmetology.
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 American Academy of Cosmetology is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 29.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 37 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,333 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,333 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,845 |
| Independent students | $6,333 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at American Academy of Cosmetology.
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.
Important to Remember
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.