by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Missouri State University-Springfield, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Missouri State, 48% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $7,573 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $5,110, amounting to 92.9% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Missouri State, 42% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,469 each per year. It comes to 26.6% above the $5,110 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,938 by year two and around $25,876 over a four-year span. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 42% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,469 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,567 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $36,015,618 |
The median student at Missouri State borrows $16,200 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,200 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,992 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,931 |
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 Missouri State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,250 |
| 25th percentile | $5,625 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,625 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Missouri State.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Missouri State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1982 | $13,813 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1151 | $15,092 |
| Did not complete | 831 | $12,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $179.46/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Missouri State.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1953 | $13,796 |
| No Stafford loan | 29 | $14,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1734 | $13,548 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 248 | $15,394 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Missouri State.
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 Missouri State is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4276 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,750 |
| Middle income | $15,750 |
| High income | $17,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,481 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,750 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,000 |
| Independent students | $16,662 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Missouri State.
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.
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.