by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Colorado School of Trades— 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.
For incoming students at Colorado School of Trades, 33% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $7,854 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $7,854. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the 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 Colorado School of Trades, freshmen included, 32% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $9,090 in federal loans per year. This is 15.7% greater than the $7,854 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $18,180 after two years and $36,360 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 | 32% |
| Average federal loan per year | $9,090 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 46 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $418,157 |
The median student at Colorado School of Trades borrows $13,375 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,375 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,000 |
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Colorado School of Trades.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,929 |
| 25th percentile | $8,000 |
| 75th percentile | $20,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Colorado School of Trades.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Colorado School of Trades.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Colorado School of Trades is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 105 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Colorado School of Trades.
Subsidized vs. 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
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.