by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Seattle Central College: 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.
Looking at the entering class at Seattle Central, 4% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,475 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,970. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. 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 Seattle Central, 4% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $7,084 per year. It comes to 18.7% greater than the $5,970 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $14,168 by year two and around $28,336 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 4% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,084 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 166 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,175,901 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Seattle Central carry a median federal debt of $8,943 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,943 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,125 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Seattle Central.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,334 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $13,042 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $19,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Seattle Central.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Seattle Central.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 490 | $17,580 |
| Completed (graduates) | 67 | $21,488 |
| Did not complete | 423 | $16,700 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $255.52/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Seattle Central.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 473 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 17 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 48 | $8,211 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 442 | $19,100 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Seattle Central.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Seattle Central is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,221 |
| Middle income | $9,068 |
| High income | $7,292 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,587 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Seattle Central.
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.
Important to Remember
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.