by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Washburn Institute of Technology— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Washburn Tech specifically, 13% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $4,420 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,420, representing 80.4% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at Washburn Tech, 20% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $4,887 a year. It comes to 10.6% greater than the $4,420 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $9,774 after two years and $19,548 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 20% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,887 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 96 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $469,156 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Washburn Tech carry a median federal debt of $12,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,127 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Washburn Tech.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,769 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Washburn Tech.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Washburn Tech.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 779 | $12,993 |
| Completed (graduates) | 422 | $13,741 |
| Did not complete | 357 | $12,500 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $163.4/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Washburn Tech.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 761 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 18 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 655 | $13,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 124 | $12,609 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Washburn Tech.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Washburn Tech appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2230 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,250 |
| Independent students | $13,579 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Washburn Tech.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
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.