by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Los Angeles Valley 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 LAVC, 2% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $7,015 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $7,015. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at LAVC, freshmen included, 2% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $7,339 each per year. This works out to 4.6% higher than the freshman federal average of $7,015.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,678 across two years and $29,356 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 2% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,339 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 248 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,820,137 |
The middle borrower at LAVC owes $9,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 LAVC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $15,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $23,750 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at LAVC.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at LAVC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 860 | $11,517 |
| Completed (graduates) | 52 | $14,937 |
| Did not complete | 808 | $11,272 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $177.62/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at LAVC.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 828 | $11,352 |
| No Stafford loan | 32 | $14,922 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 25 | $10,169 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 835 | $11,534 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at LAVC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for LAVC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 217 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,738 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for LAVC.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.