by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Calumet College of Saint Joseph: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at CCSJ, 65% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $7,149 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $6,861. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at CCSJ, freshmen included, 54% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $8,312 in federal loans per year. This is 21.1% more than the $6,861 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $16,624 after two years and $33,248 after four. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 54% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,312 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 304 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,526,989 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at CCSJ carry a median federal debt of $9,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,534 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for CCSJ.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,400 |
| 25th percentile | $6,137 |
| 75th percentile | $23,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,220 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at CCSJ.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at CCSJ.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 103 | $8,640 |
| Completed (graduates) | 37 | $8,640 |
| Did not complete | 66 | $8,547 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $102.74/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CCSJ.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 86 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 17 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for CCSJ.
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 CCSJ appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 390 |
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 | $9,000 |
| Middle income | $10,500 |
| High income | $11,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,500 |
| Independent students | $12,667 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CCSJ.
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
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.