by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Riverside City College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Riverside City College, 1% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $4,929 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $4,929, representing 89.6% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at Riverside City College, freshmen included, 1% take out federal student loans, averaging $6,584 in federal loans per year. That is 33.6% above the $4,929 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,168 after two years and $26,336 over a four-year span. 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 | $6,584 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 188 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,237,801 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Riverside City College carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Riverside City College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $8,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $13,750 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Riverside City College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Riverside City College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1202 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 154 | $10,240 |
| Did not complete | 1048 | $12,338 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $121.76/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Riverside City College.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1156 | $12,008 |
| No Stafford loan | 46 | $9,829 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 29 | $13,738 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1173 | $12,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Riverside City College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Riverside City College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 549 |
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 | $6,848 |
| Middle income | $5,450 |
| High income | $4,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,500 |
| Independent students | $9,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Riverside City College.
Subsidized and 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.
Did You Know?
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.