by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Yakima Valley 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 YVC, 9% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $5,292 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,442, equal to roughly 80.8% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at YVC, 10% take out federal student loans, averaging $6,632 annually. This works out to 49.3% higher than the freshman federal average of $4,442.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,264 in two years and roughly $26,528 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 10% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,632 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 255 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,691,227 |
The median student at YVC borrows $8,834 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,834 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,966 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,875 |
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 YVC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,744 |
| 25th percentile | $3,167 |
| 75th percentile | $14,498 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $23,843 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at YVC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for YVC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 166 | $7,378 |
| Completed (graduates) | 22 | $6,567 |
| Did not complete | 144 | $7,497 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $78.09/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 YVC.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 58 | $9,969 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 108 | $6,481 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for YVC.
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 YVC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 705 |
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 | $11,030 |
| Middle income | $7,500 |
| High income | $6,134 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,042 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,917 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $12,842 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at YVC.
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.