by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students are not billed the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The price tag of going to Palo Alto College can appear overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students obtain some kind of financial aid.
What financial aid options can Palo Alto College offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep reading for more information. Read on to discover how much school funding could be available to you.
The amount of financial aid you can receive varies from person to person and will depend on your family’s economic situation. Continue reading to find information to help you understand just how much assistance you can expect to receive from Palo Alto College.
Financial aid, in the form of loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships, is one way colleges reduce the cost of attendance so most students can actually afford to attend. Bear in mind that not all aid is equal, and the amount any one student receives can vary widely.
For freshmen starting at Palo Alto College, 92% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid approximately 850 students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 92% | $6,983 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 30% | $1,085 |
| Federal Pell grants | 74% | $6,074 |
| State/local grants | 54% | $2,772 |
| Federal student loans | 2% | $5,211 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. At this school, some 37% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $5,082 (covering around 3999 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 37% | $5,082 |
| Federal Pell grants | 27% | $5,072 |
| Federal student loans | 2% | $5,995 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $7,483.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $3,996 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $5,074 |
| Over $75,000 | $7,120 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
After grants and scholarships come off the published price, what remains is the net price — the best estimate of true out-of-pocket cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $4,463 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $4,374 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use Palo Alto College’s net price calculator: www.alamo.edu/nvc/experience-nvc/current-students/financial-literacy/.
Graduating students at Palo Alto College carry a median federal student debt of $6,779 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $6,779 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $13,393 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $141.99/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. These percentiles trace how cumulative federal debt is spread among borrowers at Palo Alto College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $10,950 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,000 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,793 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,828 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,312 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at Palo Alto College.
The Stafford program is the federal direct-loan vehicle most undergraduates use. The aggregate figures below show how active the program is at Palo Alto College:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 5369 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $50,506,363 |
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill or DoD Tuition Assistance.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 576 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $912,319 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $1,584 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 77 |
| Total DoD amount | $31,782 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $413 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.