by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Central Missouri— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At UCM, 49% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $7,980 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,258, amounting to 95.6% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at UCM, freshmen included, 41% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, for a typical $6,416 each per year. That amounts to 22.0% greater than the $5,258 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,832 by year two and around $25,664 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 41% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,416 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,330 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,948,189 |
The median student at UCM borrows $15,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,285 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at UCM.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,250 |
| 25th percentile | $6,000 |
| 75th percentile | $26,124 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,034 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UCM.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UCM.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1325 | $12,825 |
| Completed (graduates) | 733 | $14,000 |
| Did not complete | 592 | $11,917 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $166.47/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UCM.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1306 | $12,950 |
| No Stafford loan | 19 | $9,000 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1117 | $12,720 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 208 | $13,134 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UCM.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UCM follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2612 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,508 |
| Middle income | $16,500 |
| High income | $15,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,750 |
| Independent students | $15,947 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UCM.
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?
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.