by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Columbia Southern University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Columbia Southern University, 43% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,062 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $6,062. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at Columbia Southern University, 26% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,738 per year. It comes to 11.2% higher than the freshman federal average of $6,062.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,476 in two years and roughly $26,952 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 26% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,738 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,380 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $22,775,367 |
The middle borrower at Columbia Southern University owes $13,980 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,980 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,339 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,375 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Columbia Southern University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,760 |
| 25th percentile | $4,109 |
| 75th percentile | $21,325 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,965 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Columbia Southern University.
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 Columbia Southern University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1904 | $9,315 |
| Completed (graduates) | 809 | $8,000 |
| Did not complete | 1095 | $10,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $95.13/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 Southern University.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1880 | $9,300 |
| No Stafford loan | 24 | $10,996 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 793 | $8,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1111 | $10,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Columbia Southern University.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Columbia Southern University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1532 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,385 |
| Middle income | $13,803 |
| High income | $12,502 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,406 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,415 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,951 |
| Independent students | $14,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Columbia Southern University.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.
Did You Know?
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.