by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for San Diego City College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at San Diego City College, 1% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $5,773 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,773. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at San Diego City College (freshmen included), 2% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $5,930 in federal loans per year. That is 2.7% above the $5,773 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,860 after two years and $23,720 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 2% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,930 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 196 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,162,240 |
The median student at San Diego City College borrows $4,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,689 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
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 San Diego City College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,500 |
| 75th percentile | $7,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $13,313 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at San Diego City College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at San Diego City College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 776 | $11,964 |
| Completed (graduates) | 67 | $8,744 |
| Did not complete | 709 | $12,017 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $103.98/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at San Diego City College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 745 | $12,028 |
| No Stafford loan | 31 | $5,712 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 30 | $10,350 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 746 | $12,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for San Diego 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. Two-year cohort default-rate data for San Diego City College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 799 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,051 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $4,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,798 |
| Independent students | $4,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at San Diego City 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.
Important to Remember
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.