by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Valencia 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 Valencia College, 15% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $5,090 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,814, amounting to 87.5% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Valencia College, 15% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $5,870 a year. This is 21.9% above the first-year federal average of $4,814.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $11,740 after two years and $23,480 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 15% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,870 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,165 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $30,316,416 |
The median student at Valencia College borrows $5,840 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,840 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,300 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 Valencia College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $11,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Valencia College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Valencia College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1515 | $10,808 |
| Completed (graduates) | 423 | $10,982 |
| Did not complete | 1092 | $10,760 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $130.59/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Valencia College.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1470 | $10,775 |
| No Stafford loan | 45 | $14,766 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 594 | $10,083 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 921 | $11,667 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Valencia College.
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 Valencia College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5346 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,534 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Valencia 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.
Did You Know?
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.