by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Kauai Community College— 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 Kauai CC, 0% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one.
Looking at all undergraduates at Kauai CC, freshmen included, 4% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,251 per year.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,502 over two years and about $25,004 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 4% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,251 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 31 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $193,792 |
The median student at Kauai CC borrows $7,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Kauai CC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $12,344 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,886 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Kauai CC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Kauai CC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 58 | $17,403 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Kauai CC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Kauai CC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 18.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 81 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $9,000 |
| Middle income | $5,817 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,750 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,576 |
| Independent students | $9,393 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Kauai CC.
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
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.