by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Cass Career Center, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Cass RIX School District specifically, 100% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $7,323 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $7,323. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at Cass RIX School District, 80% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $8,111 per year. That is 10.8% greater than the $7,323 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $16,222 across two years and $32,444 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 | 80% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,111 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 16 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $129,770 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Cass RIX School District carry a median federal debt of $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Cass RIX School District.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Cass RIX School District is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 21 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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
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.