by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend College for Creative Studies— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at CCS, 60% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $9,596 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,363, equal to roughly 97.5% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at CCS, 57% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,517 annually. This works out to 21.5% larger than the $5,363 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,034 across two years and $26,068 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 57% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,517 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 734 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,783,537 |
The middle borrower at CCS owes $19,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,000 |
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 CCS.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $29,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,750 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at CCS.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at CCS.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 310 | $40,504 |
| Completed (graduates) | 160 | $73,420 |
| Did not complete | 150 | $31,674 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $873.04/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at CCS.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 295 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 15 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 291 | $43,200 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 19 | $21,446 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CCS.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for CCS is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 331 |
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 | $15,125 |
| Middle income | $18,500 |
| High income | $21,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,375 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,230 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $14,250 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at CCS.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.