by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend North Carolina Wesleyan University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At North Carolina Wesleyan College specifically, 76% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $6,451 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,174. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at North Carolina Wesleyan College, 69% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $8,120 a year. This works out to 31.5% above the first-year federal average of $6,174.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $16,240 across two years and $32,480 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 69% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,120 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 769 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,243,903 |
The middle borrower at North Carolina Wesleyan College owes $19,531 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,531 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,569 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for North Carolina Wesleyan College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,264 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $24,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,546 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at North Carolina Wesleyan College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for North Carolina Wesleyan College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 366 | $11,267 |
| Completed (graduates) | 161 | $15,146 |
| Did not complete | 205 | $8,871 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $180.1/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at North Carolina Wesleyan College.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 347 | $11,365 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 19 | $8,930 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at North Carolina Wesleyan College.
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 North Carolina Wesleyan College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 521 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $19,925 |
| Middle income | $18,841 |
| High income | $18,833 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,650 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,868 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,703 |
| Independent students | $21,666 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at North Carolina Wesleyan College.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Did You Know?
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.