by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend California College of the Arts— 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.
Among first-year students at California College of the Arts, 69% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $7,949 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,200, amounting to 94.5% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at California College of the Arts, 49% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $7,175 each per year. This is 38.0% higher than the freshman federal average of $5,200.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $14,350 across two years and $28,700 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 | 49% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,175 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 511 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,666,578 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at California College of the Arts carry a median federal debt of $19,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 California College of the Arts.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $34,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $42,750 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at California College of the Arts.
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 California College of the Arts.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 234 | $27,035 |
| Completed (graduates) | 154 | $28,055 |
| Did not complete | 80 | $26,239 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $333.6/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at California College of the Arts.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 218 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 16 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. California College of the Arts.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for California College of the Arts follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 524 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $23,875 |
| Middle income | $24,620 |
| High income | $14,460 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $23,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,047 |
| Independent students | $29,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at California College of the Arts.
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.
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.