by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Columbia College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Columbia College Missouri, 45% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $6,137 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,278, which is 96.0% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
For undergraduates overall at Columbia College Missouri, 43% take out federal student loans, averaging $7,112 a year. This works out to 34.7% more than the $5,278 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,224 across two years and $28,448 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 43% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,112 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,286 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $16,257,485 |
The median student at Columbia College Missouri borrows $14,750 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,879 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,000 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Columbia College Missouri.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,346 |
| 25th percentile | $4,793 |
| 75th percentile | $28,689 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $44,917 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Columbia College Missouri.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Columbia College Missouri.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 989 | $10,917 |
| Completed (graduates) | 335 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 654 | $11,143 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $118.91/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Columbia College Missouri.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 975 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 14 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 607 | $8,765 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 382 | $14,554 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Columbia College Missouri.
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 Columbia College Missouri follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4734 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,250 |
| Middle income | $15,750 |
| High income | $14,289 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,900 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,250 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,474 |
| Independent students | $15,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Columbia College Missouri.
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.