by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Solano Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Solano College, 1% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $5,535 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $5,535. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Solano College, 2% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $8,155 a year. This works out to 47.3% larger than the $5,535 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $16,310 in two years and roughly $32,620 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 | 2% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,155 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 144 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,174,261 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Solano College carry a median federal debt of $9,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Solano College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $12,707 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,875 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Solano College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Solano College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 565 | $17,148 |
| Completed (graduates) | 32 | $20,865 |
| Did not complete | 533 | $16,190 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $248.11/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 Solano College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 535 | $17,172 |
| No Stafford loan | 30 | $14,098 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 14 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 551 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Solano College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Solano College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 28.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 400 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $10,500 |
| High income | $5,375 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,909 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Solano College.
Subsidized and 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
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.