by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Golden West College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Golden West College, 2% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, at roughly $5,991 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,991. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Golden West College, 2% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $5,694 annually. This works out to 5.0% less than the $5,991 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $11,388 over two years and about $22,776 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 | 2% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,694 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 162 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $922,381 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Golden West College carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,179 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,250 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Golden West College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,121 |
| 75th percentile | $9,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Golden West College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Golden West College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 857 | $17,457 |
| Completed (graduates) | 51 | $17,742 |
| Did not complete | 806 | $17,389 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $210.97/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 Golden West College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 824 | $17,663 |
| No Stafford loan | 33 | $12,000 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 24 | $12,750 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 833 | $17,712 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Golden West College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Golden West College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 262 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,500 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $2,875 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,950 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,500 |
| Independent students | $6,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Golden West 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
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.