by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend College of Marin, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at College of Marin, 1% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $4,461 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $4,701, amounting to 85.5% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at College of Marin, 1% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $8,466 a year. That amounts to 80.1% above the freshman federal average of $4,701.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $16,932 after two years and $33,864 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 1% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,466 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 48 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $406,372 |
The median student at College of Marin borrows $10,062 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $10,062 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,062 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for College of Marin.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $21,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,125 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at College of Marin.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for College of Marin.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 293 | $19,300 |
| Completed (graduates) | 22 | $12,712 |
| Did not complete | 271 | $19,455 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $151.16/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at College of Marin.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 276 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 17 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 15 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 278 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for College of Marin.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for College of Marin follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 14.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 317 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,700 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $10,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,900 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for College of Marin.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.