by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend California State University-Monterey Bay, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At CSUMB, 34% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $5,452 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $3,789, amounting to 68.9% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at CSUMB, 29% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $5,030 annually. It comes to 32.8% more than the $3,789 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $10,060 across two years and $20,120 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 29% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,030 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,683 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,464,973 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at CSUMB carry a median federal debt of $11,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,250 |
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 CSUMB.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $18,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $25,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at CSUMB.
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 CSUMB.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 442 | $16,009 |
| Completed (graduates) | 305 | $16,836 |
| Did not complete | 137 | $14,574 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $200.2/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CSUMB.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 368 | $16,009 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 74 | $15,903 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at CSUMB.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for CSUMB is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 939 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,000 |
| Middle income | $11,000 |
| High income | $11,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $11,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CSUMB.
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.
Important to Remember
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.