by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Cerritos College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Cerritos College, 2% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $6,330 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $6,330. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the 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.
Counting every undergraduate at Cerritos College, 3% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $7,259 each per year. That is 14.7% above the freshman federal average of $6,330.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,518 after two years and $29,036 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 3% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,259 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 537 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,898,260 |
The median student at Cerritos College borrows $8,350 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,350 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,447 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,345 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Cerritos College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,250 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $9,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,750 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Cerritos College.
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 Cerritos College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 805 | $11,255 |
| Completed (graduates) | 47 | $10,162 |
| Did not complete | 758 | $11,323 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $120.84/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Cerritos College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 769 | $11,243 |
| No Stafford loan | 36 | $12,321 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 43 | $7,844 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 762 | $11,387 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Cerritos College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Cerritos College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 360 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,155 |
| Middle income | $7,899 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,243 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Cerritos College.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.