by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at CMU CGES, 2% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $9,500 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $9,500. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at CMU CGES, freshmen included, 35% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,929 annually. That amounts to 27.1% below the $9,500 borrowed by freshmen.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,858 in two years and roughly $27,716 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 | 35% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,929 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 635 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,399,806 |
The middle borrower at CMU CGES owes $13,292 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,292 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $17,619 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for CMU CGES.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,070 |
| 25th percentile | $5,845 |
| 75th percentile | $21,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at CMU CGES.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for CMU CGES.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 593 | $15,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 244 | $13,500 |
| Did not complete | 349 | $16,254 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $160.53/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CMU CGES.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 580 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 13 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 371 | $11,750 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 222 | $21,976 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CMU CGES.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for CMU CGES appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 613 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $12,876 |
| Middle income | $13,750 |
| High income | $13,100 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,567 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $14,757 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CMU CGES.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.