by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend North American Trade Schools— 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.
At North American Trade Schools specifically, 54% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $3,693 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $3,693, which is 67.1% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at North American Trade Schools, 49% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,254 a year. This is 69.3% more than the $3,693 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,508 over two years and about $25,016 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 | 49% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,254 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 481 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,008,266 |
The median student at North American Trade Schools borrows $3,668 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $3,668 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,338 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,372 |
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 North American Trade Schools.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,532 |
| 25th percentile | $3,166 |
| 75th percentile | $9,942 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $11,254 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at North American Trade Schools.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for North American Trade Schools.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 108 | $5,883 |
| Completed (graduates) | 85 | $7,195 |
| Did not complete | 23 | $3,038 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $85.56/mo.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. North American Trade Schools.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for North American Trade Schools appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 696 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,292 |
| Middle income | $3,372 |
| High income | $5,453 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $3,403 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,644 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,644 |
| Independent students | $3,372 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at North American Trade Schools.
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.