by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Edward Waters University— 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 Edward Waters College specifically, 63% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $5,728 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,612. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. 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 Edward Waters College, freshmen included, 68% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $6,395 each per year. It comes to 14.0% higher than the $5,612 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,790 in two years and roughly $25,580 over a four-year span. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 68% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,395 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 760 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,860,139 |
The middle borrower at Edward Waters College owes $11,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,726 |
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 Edward Waters College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $28,968 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $45,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Edward Waters College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Edward Waters College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 175 | $8,300 |
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Edward Waters College.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 164 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 11 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Edward Waters College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Edward Waters College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 276 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,686 |
| Middle income | $9,875 |
| High income | $7,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,750 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,082 |
| Independent students | $15,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Edward Waters College.
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.
Important to Remember
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.