by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Northwest College School of Beauty - Medford— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at NWC Medford, 67% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,104 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $7,104. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at NWC Medford, 65% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $7,495 annually. It comes to 5.5% larger than the $7,104 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,990 across two years and $29,980 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 65% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,495 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 114 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $854,401 |
The middle borrower at NWC Medford owes $6,333 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,333 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,564 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
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 NWC Medford.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,666 |
| 25th percentile | $5,971 |
| 75th percentile | $17,441 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $26,945 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at NWC Medford.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at NWC Medford.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 37 | $6,477 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. NWC Medford.
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 NWC Medford follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 267 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $6,333 |
| Middle income | $7,983 |
| High income | $6,333 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,333 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,333 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $6,333 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at NWC Medford.
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.
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.