by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Rio Salado 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.
Looking at the entering class at Rio Salado College, 13% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $4,697 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,697, which is 85.4% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Rio Salado College, 15% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $4,094 annually. This is 12.8% less than the first-year federal average of $4,697.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $8,188 over two years and about $16,376 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 15% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,094 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 702 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,874,168 |
The median student at Rio Salado College borrows $4,375 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,375 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,722 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Rio Salado College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,324 |
| 25th percentile | $1,750 |
| 75th percentile | $6,896 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,712 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Rio Salado College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Rio Salado College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3025 | $16,369 |
| Completed (graduates) | 185 | $13,400 |
| Did not complete | 2840 | $16,819 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $159.34/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Rio Salado College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2923 | $16,276 |
| No Stafford loan | 102 | $19,132 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 249 | $9,088 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 2776 | $17,259 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Rio Salado College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Rio Salado College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 18.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5548 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,500 |
| Middle income | $4,500 |
| High income | $3,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $4,427 |
| Continuing-generation students | $3,750 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,201 |
| Independent students | $4,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Rio Salado College.
Subsidized and 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.
Worth Knowing
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.