by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Riverside County Office of Education-School of Career Education, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at RCOE SCE, 35% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $4,505 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,505, equal to roughly 81.9% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at RCOE SCE, 35% take out federal student loans, at an average of $4,507 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 0.0% above the $4,505 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $9,014 over two years and about $18,028 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 35% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,507 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 67 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $301,989 |
The middle borrower at RCOE SCE owes $5,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. RCOE SCE.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,650 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,155 |
| Independent students | $6,650 |
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
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.