by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Colorado State University Pueblo: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Colorado State University - Pueblo, 35% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $6,162 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,882, or about 88.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at Colorado State University - Pueblo (freshmen included), 37% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,729 annually. That is 37.8% more than the $4,882 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,458 over two years and about $26,916 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 37% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,729 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,119 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,530,206 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Colorado State University - Pueblo carry a median federal debt of $14,475 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,475 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Colorado State University - Pueblo.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Colorado State University - Pueblo.
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 Colorado State University - Pueblo.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 987 | $13,710 |
| Completed (graduates) | 217 | $14,786 |
| Did not complete | 770 | $13,073 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $175.82/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Colorado State University - Pueblo.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 976 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 384 | $14,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 603 | $13,150 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Colorado State University - Pueblo.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Colorado State University - Pueblo is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1526 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,590 |
| Middle income | $13,662 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,722 |
| Independent students | $18,681 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Colorado State University - Pueblo.
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
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.