by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Southwestern 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 SWC Chula Vista, 5% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $4,848 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,848, which is 88.1% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at SWC Chula Vista, freshmen included, 6% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,326 a year. This works out to 30.5% greater than the freshman federal average of $4,848.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,652 after two years and $25,304 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 6% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,326 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 935 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,914,347 |
The middle borrower at SWC Chula Vista owes $4,044 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,044 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $4,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,865 |
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 SWC Chula Vista.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,458 |
| 75th percentile | $5,934 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $10,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at SWC Chula Vista.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at SWC Chula Vista.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1011 | $11,039 |
| Completed (graduates) | 70 | $16,622 |
| Did not complete | 941 | $10,767 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $197.65/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at SWC Chula Vista.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 956 | $11,299 |
| No Stafford loan | 55 | $10,000 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 34 | $9,158 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 977 | $11,086 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at SWC Chula Vista.
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 SWC Chula Vista is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 14.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 246 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,500 |
| Middle income | $3,500 |
| High income | $3,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $3,720 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $3,500 |
| Independent students | $4,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for SWC Chula Vista.
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
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.