by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Minnesota West Community and Technical College— 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.
For incoming students at Minnesota West, 37% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $5,812 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,158, equal to roughly 93.8% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at Minnesota West (freshmen included), 26% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $5,864 a year. It comes to 13.7% greater than the $5,158 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,728 over two years and about $23,456 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 26% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,864 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 438 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,568,490 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Minnesota West carry a median federal debt of $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,987 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,700 |
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 Minnesota West.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,500 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $16,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,219 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Minnesota West.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Minnesota West.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 135 | $8,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 29 | $9,500 |
| Did not complete | 106 | $7,997 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $112.97/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Minnesota West.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 69 | $5,692 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 66 | $10,976 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Minnesota West.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Minnesota West is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 907 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,500 |
| Middle income | $8,488 |
| High income | $8,250 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,353 |
| Independent students | $10,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Minnesota West.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Worth Knowing
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.