by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend College of Southern Maryland— 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.
Among first-year students at CSM, 71% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $5,723 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,686. 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 CSM, 52% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $6,832 per year. That amounts to 20.2% greater than the $5,686 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,664 in two years and roughly $27,328 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,832 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,310 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $15,781,938 |
The median student at CSM borrows $5,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,500 |
| 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Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 CSM.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,900 |
| 75th percentile | $10,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,949 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at CSM.
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 CSM.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 551 | $19,461 |
| Completed (graduates) | 87 | $23,432 |
| Did not complete | 464 | $19,142 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $278.63/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CSM.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 523 | $20,071 |
| No Stafford loan | 28 | $12,650 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 93 | $15,185 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 458 | $20,387 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at CSM.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for CSM appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 430 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,000 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,498 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $7,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at CSM.
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
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.