by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Santiago Canyon College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at SCC, 1% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $6,250 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $6,250. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at SCC, 1% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $9,674 a year. It comes to 54.8% higher than the $6,250 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $19,348 after two years and $38,696 by the fourth year. 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 | $9,674 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 73 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $706,211 |
The median student at SCC borrows $4,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $5,125 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for SCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,499 |
| 75th percentile | $6,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at SCC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at SCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 567 | $17,894 |
| Completed (graduates) | 66 | $14,281 |
| Did not complete | 501 | $18,166 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $169.82/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at SCC.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 529 | $18,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 38 | $16,916 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for SCC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for SCC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 126 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,750 |
| Middle income | $4,500 |
| High income | $3,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $4,529 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,500 |
| Independent students | $5,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SCC.
Subsidized and 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.
Did You Know?
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.