by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend College of Alameda, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At College of Alameda, 1% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $9,402 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $9,402. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at College of Alameda (freshmen included), 1% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $8,285 annually. This is 11.9% below the first-year federal average of $9,402.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $16,570 by year two and around $33,140 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 | 1% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,285 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 27 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $223,704 |
The median student at College of Alameda borrows $9,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for College of Alameda.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $4,000 |
| 75th percentile | $10,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,404 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at College of Alameda.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for College of Alameda.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 195 | $15,541 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for College of Alameda.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for College of Alameda follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 32 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,855 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for College of Alameda.
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.
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.