by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Valley Grande Institute for Academic Studies— 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.
For incoming students at VGI, 100% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $3,525 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $3,525, amounting to 64.1% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at VGI, 95% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $5,894 in federal loans per year. This is 67.2% above the first-year federal average of $3,525.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $11,788 over two years and about $23,576 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 95% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,894 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 240 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,414,660 |
The middle borrower at VGI owes $9,317 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,317 |
| 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 VGI.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,584 |
| 25th percentile | $7,019 |
| 75th percentile | $12,103 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,763 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at VGI.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for VGI.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 54 | $5,988 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for VGI.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for VGI follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 28.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 347 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,176 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at VGI.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.