by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Santa Rosa Junior 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 SRJC, 2% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $10,223 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,789. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. 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 SRJC (freshmen included), 1% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,945 annually. It comes to 20.0% larger than the $5,789 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,890 over two years and about $27,780 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 1% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,945 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 126 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $875,015 |
The median student at SRJC borrows $7,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,924 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for SRJC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,958 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at SRJC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for SRJC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 894 | $17,019 |
| Completed (graduates) | 97 | $20,000 |
| Did not complete | 797 | $16,683 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $237.82/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at SRJC.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 848 | $17,101 |
| No Stafford loan | 46 | $14,189 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 32 | $9,800 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 862 | $17,468 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. SRJC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for SRJC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 436 |
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 | $7,725 |
| Middle income | $7,500 |
| High income | $5,744 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,725 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $8,795 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SRJC.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.