by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Bellus Academy - Poway, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Bellus Academy, 79% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $11,103 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $6,993. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at Bellus Academy, freshmen included, 46% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $7,114 each per year. This works out to 1.7% higher than the $6,993 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,228 over two years and about $28,456 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 46% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,114 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 282 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,006,012 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Bellus Academy carry a median federal debt of $6,333 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,333 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,917 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
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 Bellus Academy.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,200 |
| 25th percentile | $4,998 |
| 75th percentile | $12,417 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,255 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Bellus Academy.
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 Bellus Academy.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 100 | $10,173 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Bellus Academy.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Bellus Academy appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 241 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,360 |
| Middle income | $6,333 |
| High income | $5,583 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,333 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,333 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $6,416 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Bellus Academy.
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.
Important to Remember
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.