by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Santa Fe College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Santa Fe College specifically, 12% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $2,451 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $2,107, amounting to 38.3% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. 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 Santa Fe College, 13% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $2,603 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 23.5% above the first-year federal average of $2,107.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $5,206 over two years and about $10,412 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 13% |
| Average federal loan per year | $2,603 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,381 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,595,004 |
The median student at Santa Fe College borrows $7,125 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,125 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,310 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,846 |
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 Santa Fe College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,800 |
| 25th percentile | $3,306 |
| 75th percentile | $13,300 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $24,453 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Santa Fe College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Santa Fe College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 506 | $11,405 |
| Completed (graduates) | 119 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 387 | $11,558 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $118.91/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Santa Fe College.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 477 | $11,270 |
| No Stafford loan | 29 | $12,449 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 215 | $9,870 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 291 | $12,960 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 19.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2660 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,000 |
| Middle income | $7,092 |
| High income | $6,008 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,954 |
| Independent students | $11,200 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Santa Fe College.
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.