by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students are not billed the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The total price of attendance at Columbia College can feel tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students receive some sort of financial help.
Just what financial assistance solutions will Columbia College Missouri deliver, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Read on for answers. Keep going to learn just how much financial aid will be open to you.
How much aid you qualify for depends largely on your family’s financial circumstances. The figures below will help you estimate the aid you might receive from Columbia College.
Financial aid, in the form of loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships, is one way colleges reduce the cost of attendance so most students can actually afford to attend. Keep in mind that certain forms of assistance are more beneficial than others, and aid amounts differ from student to student.
Looking at the entering class at Columbia College, 93% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid (about 307 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 91% | $15,882 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 62% | $16,173 |
| Federal Pell grants | 51% | $6,450 |
| State/local grants | 32% | $2,532 |
| Federal student loans | 44% | $5,278 |
Grants and scholarships are the most valuable form of aid because, unlike loans, they never have to be repaid. Here, approximately 60% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $8,897 (across roughly 3362 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 60% | $8,897 |
| Federal Pell grants | 45% | $6,102 |
| Federal student loans | 41% | $7,092 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $14,492.
Need-based aid means lower-income families typically pay far less than the sticker price suggests.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $24,959 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $23,179 |
| Over $75,000 | $21,798 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $22,715 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $24,051 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit Columbia College Missouri’s net price tool: www.ccis.edu/tuition-financial-aid/college-cost/.
The median student at Columbia College Missouri graduates with $14,750 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $14,750 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $23,879 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $253.16/mo |
Spreading the median graduate debt over a standard 10-year repayment schedule works out to roughly the monthly payment shown above.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at 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 |
How much a student borrows depends heavily on family income, first-gen status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| 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 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,474 |
| Independent students | $15,750 |
Federal data publishes pre-calculated indicators that summarize debt outcomes. Columbia College Missouri.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. The aggregate figures below show how active the program is at Columbia College Missouri:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 55748 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,362,237,281 |
If you are a veteran or active-duty service member, the GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the primary federal programs you can use at this school.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 1142 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $6,978,013 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $6,110 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 1348 |
| Total DoD amount | $3,103,045 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,302 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.