by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Scottsdale Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Scottsdale Community College, 11% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $4,891 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $3,855, or about 70.1% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at Scottsdale Community College, 11% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $3,761 annually. That is 2.4% lower than the $3,855 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $7,522 after two years and $15,044 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 | 11% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,761 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 466 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,752,794 |
The middle borrower at Scottsdale Community College owes $4,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,100 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Scottsdale Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,250 |
| 75th percentile | $8,255 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,697 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Scottsdale Community College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Scottsdale Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 663 | $14,305 |
| Completed (graduates) | 72 | $15,013 |
| Did not complete | 591 | $14,085 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $178.52/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Scottsdale Community College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 633 | $14,341 |
| No Stafford loan | 30 | $14,102 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 123 | $11,239 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 540 | $14,677 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Scottsdale Community College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Scottsdale Community College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1270 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,243 |
| Middle income | $4,222 |
| High income | $3,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $4,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $4,416 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,500 |
| Independent students | $5,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Scottsdale Community College.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.