by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Arizona College - Mesa, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Arizona College - Mesa, 76% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $7,001 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $7,001. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Counting every undergraduate at Arizona College - Mesa, 74% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $5,712 per year. This works out to 18.4% under the freshman federal average of $7,001.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,424 after two years and $22,848 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 74% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,712 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 330 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,884,853 |
The middle borrower at Arizona College - Mesa owes $9,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,495 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Arizona College - Mesa.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 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 Arizona College - Mesa.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Arizona College - Mesa.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 472 | $8,802 |
| Completed (graduates) | 200 | $9,144 |
| Did not complete | 272 | $8,692 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $108.73/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Arizona College - Mesa.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 429 | $8,933 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 43 | $6,900 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Arizona College - Mesa.
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 Arizona College - Mesa follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 665 |
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 | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $10,250 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,803 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,972 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Arizona College - Mesa.
Subsidized and 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.