by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for College of the Sequoias— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at College of the Sequoias, 1% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $5,506 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,506. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at College of the Sequoias, 1% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $5,938 a year. That amounts to 7.8% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,506.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $11,876 across two years and $23,752 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 | $5,938 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 111 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $659,153 |
The median student at College of the Sequoias borrows $4,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $4,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Sequoias.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,312 |
| 25th percentile | $1,800 |
| 75th percentile | $4,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $9,516 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at College of the Sequoias.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at College of the Sequoias.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 340 | $8,759 |
| Completed (graduates) | 39 | $13,490 |
| Did not complete | 301 | $8,478 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $160.41/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at College of the Sequoias.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 330 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 10 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 330 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for College of the Sequoias.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for College of the Sequoias is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 180 |
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 | $4,500 |
| Middle income | $4,750 |
| High income | $4,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $4,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,500 |
| Independent students | $4,861 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at College of the Sequoias.
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
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.