by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Estrella Mountain Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Estrella Mountain Community College specifically, 9% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $3,387 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $3,387, equal to roughly 61.6% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at Estrella Mountain Community College (freshmen included), 11% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $3,511 each per year. That is 3.7% more than the $3,387 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $7,022 by year two and around $14,044 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 11% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,511 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 699 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,454,227 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Estrella Mountain Community College carry a median federal debt of $4,670 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,670 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Estrella Mountain Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,992 |
| 75th percentile | $11,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $22,418 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Estrella Mountain Community College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Estrella Mountain Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 440 | $9,790 |
| Completed (graduates) | 32 | $8,503 |
| Did not complete | 408 | $9,931 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $101.11/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 Estrella Mountain Community College.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 423 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 17 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 113 | $8,385 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 327 | $10,094 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Estrella Mountain Community College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Estrella Mountain Community College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1370 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,250 |
| Middle income | $4,500 |
| High income | $3,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $4,730 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,500 |
| Independent students | $5,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Estrella Mountain Community College.
The Difference Between 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.