by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Paul Mitchell the School Columbia— 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.
At Paul Mitchell the School Columbia specifically, 69% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $7,920 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $7,920. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Paul Mitchell the School Columbia, 52% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $7,654 per year. That amounts to 3.4% lower than the first-year federal average of $7,920.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $15,308 after two years and $30,616 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 | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,654 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 248 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,898,146 |
The median student at Paul Mitchell the School Columbia borrows $9,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,740 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Paul Mitchell the School Columbia.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $13,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Paul Mitchell the School Columbia.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Paul Mitchell the School Columbia.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 166 | $9,196 |
| Completed (graduates) | 122 | $9,196 |
| Did not complete | 44 | $5,912 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $109.35/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 Paul Mitchell the School Columbia.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 155 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 11 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Paul Mitchell the School Columbia.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Paul Mitchell the School Columbia follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 60 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,833 |
| High income | $9,833 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,416 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Paul Mitchell the School Columbia.
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.
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.