by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Catawba Valley Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At CVCC specifically, 0% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $19,700 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 0% |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 0 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $0 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at CVCC carry a median federal debt of $5,125 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,125 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $4,938 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,207 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at CVCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,375 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at CVCC.
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 CVCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 275 | $10,300 |
| Completed (graduates) | 76 | $12,165 |
| Did not complete | 199 | $10,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $144.65/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CVCC.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 13 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 262 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CVCC.
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 CVCC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 290 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,500 |
| Middle income | $3,500 |
| High income | $5,251 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $3,591 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,668 |
| Independent students | $6,875 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at CVCC.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Did You Know?
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.