by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Colorado Christian University— 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 CCU specifically, 43% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $9,129 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,313, representing 96.6% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at CCU, freshmen included, 57% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $9,192 in federal loans per year. That is 73.0% above the $5,313 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $18,384 across two years and $36,768 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 | 57% |
| Average federal loan per year | $9,192 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,048 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $28,017,221 |
The median student at CCU borrows $14,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $28,312 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at CCU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $5,294 |
| 75th percentile | $23,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,490 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at CCU.
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 CCU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 708 | $11,723 |
| Completed (graduates) | 291 | $15,000 |
| Did not complete | 417 | $10,135 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $178.37/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CCU.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 692 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 16 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 577 | $12,836 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 131 | $8,900 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CCU.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for CCU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 885 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $9,977 |
| Middle income | $16,850 |
| High income | $16,750 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,909 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,250 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,452 |
| Independent students | $13,701 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for CCU.
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.
Did You Know?
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.