by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield: 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.
At San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield specifically, 88% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $8,225 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $7,728. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield, 71% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $7,294 a year. That is 5.6% less than the freshman federal average of $7,728.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $14,588 in two years and roughly $29,176 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 71% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,294 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 890 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,491,757 |
The middle borrower at San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield owes $9,773 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,773 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,674 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
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 Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,920 |
| 25th percentile | $9,474 |
| 75th percentile | $19,977 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1813 | $6,811 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1324 | $7,571 |
| Did not complete | 489 | $4,639 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $90.03/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1750 | $6,991 |
| No Stafford loan | 63 | $2,635 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1668 | $6,981 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 145 | $4,589 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 18.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4952 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $10,118 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $9,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,699 |
| Continuing-generation students | $10,574 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,667 |
| Independent students | $10,550 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield.
The Difference Between 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.
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.