by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Clark College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Clark College, 15% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $5,147 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,832, representing 87.9% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at Clark College (freshmen included), 33% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,250 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 29.3% above the $4,832 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,500 in two years and roughly $25,000 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 | 33% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,250 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,535 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,593,877 |
The middle borrower at Clark College owes $6,666 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,666 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,881 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Clark College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,500 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $14,666 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $23,833 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Clark College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Clark College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 354 | $11,741 |
| Completed (graduates) | 86 | $10,117 |
| Did not complete | 268 | $12,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $120.3/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Clark College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 337 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 17 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 101 | $11,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 253 | $12,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Clark College.
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 Clark College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1892 |
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 | $8,250 |
| Middle income | $6,364 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,788 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,322 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,202 |
| Independent students | $9,062 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Clark 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.
Important to Remember
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.