by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Skagit Valley College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Skagit Valley College, 6% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $8,015 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $6,559. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at Skagit Valley College (freshmen included), 7% take out federal student loans, at an average of $7,299 in federal loans per year. This is 11.3% more than the freshman federal average of $6,559.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,598 across two years and $29,196 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 7% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,299 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 189 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,379,483 |
The middle borrower at Skagit Valley College owes $8,798 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,798 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,805 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,999 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Skagit Valley College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,110 |
| 25th percentile | $3,737 |
| 75th percentile | $14,956 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,930 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Skagit Valley College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Skagit Valley College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 195 | $12,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 41 | $9,060 |
| Did not complete | 154 | $14,656 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $107.73/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Skagit Valley College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 41 | $12,500 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 154 | $12,467 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Skagit Valley College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Skagit Valley College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 387 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $8,271 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,379 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,125 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Skagit Valley 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.