by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Central Washington University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At CWU, 47% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $6,266 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,855, or about 88.3% 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 CWU, 39% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $6,354 per year. That is 30.9% higher than the $4,855 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,708 after two years and $25,416 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 39% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,354 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,154 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $20,040,366 |
The middle borrower at CWU owes $13,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,303 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for CWU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,000 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at CWU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for CWU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2255 | $17,285 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1002 | $22,000 |
| Did not complete | 1253 | $15,300 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $261.6/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at CWU.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2177 | $17,418 |
| No Stafford loan | 78 | $14,456 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2040 | $17,337 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 215 | $16,786 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at CWU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for CWU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2484 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,888 |
| Middle income | $13,068 |
| High income | $13,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,102 |
| Independent students | $17,428 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CWU.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.