by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for ATA Career Education— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at ATA-CIF, 97% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,706 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $6,706. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at ATA-CIF (freshmen included), 93% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,572 a year. That amounts to 2.0% under the first-year federal average of $6,706.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,144 by year two and around $26,288 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 93% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,572 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 210 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,380,181 |
The median student at ATA-CIF borrows $15,834 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,834 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,030 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for ATA-CIF.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $6,334 |
| 75th percentile | $22,637 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,713 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at ATA-CIF.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at ATA-CIF.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 92 | $7,504 |
| Completed (graduates) | 50 | $8,920 |
| Did not complete | 42 | $6,699 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $106.07/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for ATA-CIF.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for ATA-CIF follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 796 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,667 |
| Middle income | $15,834 |
| High income | $18,074 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,800 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,334 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $16,792 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at ATA-CIF.
The Difference Between 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
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.