by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for College of the Canyons— 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.
Looking at the entering class at College of the Canyons, 0% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $3,875 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $3,875, representing 70.5% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at College of the Canyons, 1% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $6,122 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 58.0% above the freshman federal average of $3,875.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,244 over two years and about $24,488 after four. 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 | $6,122 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 180 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,101,949 |
The middle borrower at College of the Canyons owes $6,375 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,375 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,612 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for College of the Canyons.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $22,267 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at College of the Canyons.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for College of the Canyons.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1447 | $19,300 |
| Completed (graduates) | 146 | $19,588 |
| Did not complete | 1301 | $19,224 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $232.92/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at College of the Canyons.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1394 | $19,275 |
| No Stafford loan | 53 | $19,768 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 52 | $12,801 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1395 | $19,388 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at College of the Canyons.
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 College of the Canyons follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 534 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,762 |
| Middle income | $6,750 |
| High income | $4,875 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,729 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for College of the Canyons.
Subsidized and 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.
Worth Knowing
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.