by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for North-West College - Pomona— 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.
Among first-year students at NWC Pomona, 94% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,297 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,625. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at NWC Pomona (freshmen included), 75% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $5,280 annually. This is 6.1% lower than the freshman federal average of $5,625.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $10,560 after two years and $21,120 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 75% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,280 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 405 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,138,499 |
The median student at NWC Pomona borrows $9,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for NWC Pomona.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,257 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $14,345 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $18,845 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at NWC Pomona.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for NWC Pomona.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 488 | $5,956 |
| Completed (graduates) | 356 | $6,672 |
| Did not complete | 132 | $4,647 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $79.34/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at NWC Pomona.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 462 | $6,389 |
| No Stafford loan | 26 | $2,280 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 446 | $6,330 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 42 | $3,480 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. NWC Pomona.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for NWC Pomona is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 381 |
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 | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at NWC Pomona.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Worth Knowing
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.