by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Saddleback College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Saddleback College, 1% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $5,955 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,955. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at Saddleback College, 1% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $6,475 in federal loans per year. This is 8.7% more than the $5,955 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,950 by year two and around $25,900 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 1% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,475 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 233 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,508,766 |
The middle borrower at Saddleback College owes $6,988 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,988 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,125 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Saddleback College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $10,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $19,631 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Saddleback 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 Saddleback College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1569 | $21,960 |
| Completed (graduates) | 144 | $20,102 |
| Did not complete | 1425 | $22,014 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $239.03/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Saddleback College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1502 | $21,951 |
| No Stafford loan | 67 | $22,014 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 22 | $10,475 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1547 | $22,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Saddleback College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Saddleback College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 228 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,750 |
| Middle income | $5,713 |
| High income | $4,650 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,125 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,625 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,057 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Saddleback 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.
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.