by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for California State University-Bakersfield— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at CSUB, 15% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $4,554 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,292, amounting to 78.0% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at CSUB, 24% take out federal student loans, averaging $6,773 annually. This is 57.8% greater than the first-year federal average of $4,292.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,546 by year two and around $27,092 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 24% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,773 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,939 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,131,906 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at CSUB carry a median federal debt of $11,270 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,270 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $16,600 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,843 |
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 CSUB.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,333 |
| 25th percentile | $4,500 |
| 75th percentile | $20,835 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at CSUB.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at CSUB.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 464 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 43 | $9,000 |
| Did not complete | 421 | $12,104 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $107.02/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at CSUB.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 450 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 14 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 304 | $11,494 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 160 | $14,059 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CSUB.
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 CSUB follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1743 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,000 |
| Middle income | $11,000 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,767 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,193 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for CSUB.
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.