by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Columbia International University: 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 CIU, 65% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $7,037 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,197, amounting to 94.5% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year 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.
Counting every undergraduate at CIU, 59% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,559 a year. That amounts to 26.2% more than the $5,197 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,118 by year two and around $26,236 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 59% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,559 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 420 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,754,883 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at CIU carry a median federal debt of $10,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $10,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,590 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for CIU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,250 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at CIU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at CIU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 157 | $11,915 |
| Completed (graduates) | 61 | $12,275 |
| Did not complete | 96 | $11,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $145.96/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CIU.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 129 | $11,500 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 28 | $17,354 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at CIU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for CIU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 244 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $12,000 |
| High income | $13,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,821 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at CIU.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.