by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend CET, Santa Maria— 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.
At CET, Santa Maria specifically, 13% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $7,126 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $7,126. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at CET, Santa Maria, freshmen included, 12% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $7,048 per year. That amounts to 1.1% smaller than the freshman federal average of $7,126.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,096 in two years and roughly $28,192 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 12% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,048 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 26 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $183,239 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at CET, Santa Maria carry a median federal debt of $6,729 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,729 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,041 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for CET, Santa Maria.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,140 |
| 25th percentile | $4,767 |
| 75th percentile | $8,042 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $9,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at CET, Santa Maria.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for CET, Santa Maria.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 215 | $5,192 |
| Completed (graduates) | 177 | $5,308 |
| Did not complete | 38 | $3,677 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $63.12/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CET, Santa Maria.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 200 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 15 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CET, Santa Maria.
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 CET, Santa Maria follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1992 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,777 |
| Middle income | $6,650 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,729 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,246 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $7,582 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for CET, Santa Maria.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Did You Know?
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.