by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Pasadena City College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Pasadena City College specifically, 1% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,871 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $6,871. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical 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 Pasadena City College, freshmen included, 1% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, for a typical $7,221 annually. That amounts to 5.1% higher than the freshman federal average of $6,871.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,442 in two years and roughly $28,884 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 1% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,221 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 210 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,516,313 |
The middle borrower at Pasadena City College owes $6,036 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,036 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $6,651 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,000 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Pasadena City College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $9,151 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,504 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Pasadena City College.
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 Pasadena City College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1921 | $16,630 |
| Completed (graduates) | 82 | $18,283 |
| Did not complete | 1839 | $16,584 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $217.4/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Pasadena City College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1834 | $16,860 |
| No Stafford loan | 87 | $15,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 32 | $16,086 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1889 | $16,630 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Pasadena City 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 federal two-year cohort default rate for Pasadena City College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 253 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,500 |
| Middle income | $6,000 |
| High income | $4,767 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,415 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,500 |
| Independent students | $8,175 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Pasadena City College.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Worth Knowing
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.