by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Valley College-Cleveland— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Valley College - Cleveland specifically, 83% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $6,602 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $4,816, equal to roughly 87.6% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at Valley College - Cleveland (freshmen included), 83% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $3,790 each per year. That amounts to 21.3% lower than the $4,816 borrowed by freshmen.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $7,580 in two years and roughly $15,160 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 83% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,790 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,180 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,472,185 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Valley College - Cleveland carry a median federal debt of $9,418 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,418 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Valley College - Cleveland.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,271 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $9,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Valley College - Cleveland.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Valley College - Cleveland.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 117 | $5,930 |
| Completed (graduates) | 82 | $6,450 |
| Did not complete | 35 | $4,368 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $76.7/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Valley College - Cleveland.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Valley College - Cleveland follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 55 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,349 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $9,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,404 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Valley College - Cleveland.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.