by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Orange Coast College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Orange Coast College, 3% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $7,499 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $5,267, which is 95.8% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at Orange Coast College, freshmen included, 2% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $5,869 a year. That amounts to 11.4% above the $5,267 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $11,738 after two years and $23,476 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 | 2% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,869 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 355 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,083,608 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Orange Coast College carry a median federal debt of $6,175 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,175 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,519 |
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 Orange Coast College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,122 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,444 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Orange Coast College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Orange Coast College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 991 | $18,956 |
| Completed (graduates) | 56 | $19,090 |
| Did not complete | 935 | $18,956 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $227.0/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Orange Coast College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 942 | $18,715 |
| No Stafford loan | 49 | $20,820 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 55 | $13,925 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 936 | $19,553 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Orange Coast College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Orange Coast College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 455 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,465 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $4,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,405 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,875 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,500 |
| Independent students | $9,173 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Orange Coast College.
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
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.