by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Fortis College-Columbus, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Fortis College - Columbus specifically, 82% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $8,307 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $8,211. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Fortis College - Columbus, 78% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $8,254 each per year. It comes to 0.5% more than the first-year federal average of $8,211.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $16,508 over two years and about $33,016 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 78% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,254 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 594 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,903,104 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Fortis College - Columbus carry a median federal debt of $9,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,547 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,334 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Fortis College - Columbus.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $6,167 |
| 75th percentile | $13,827 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $24,083 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Fortis College - Columbus.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Fortis College - Columbus.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 658 | $6,398 |
| Completed (graduates) | 381 | $6,719 |
| Did not complete | 277 | $5,232 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $79.9/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Fortis College - Columbus.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 648 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 624 | $6,381 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 34 | $6,537 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Fortis College - Columbus.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Fortis College - Columbus is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2721 |
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 | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,643 |
| High income | $9,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,834 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,600 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Fortis College - Columbus.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Worth Knowing
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.