by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend North-West College-Anaheim: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at NWC Anaheim, 64% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $5,721 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,566. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at NWC Anaheim (freshmen included), 70% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,315 per year. That is 13.5% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,566.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,630 by year two and around $25,260 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 | 70% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,315 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 529 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,340,435 |
The middle borrower at NWC Anaheim owes $9,500 in federal borrowing.
| 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.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for NWC Anaheim.
| 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 Anaheim.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at NWC Anaheim.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 488 | $5,956 |
| Completed (graduates) | 356 | $6,672 |
| Did not complete | 132 | $4,647 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $79.34/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at NWC Anaheim.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 462 | $6,389 |
| No Stafford loan | 26 | $2,280 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 446 | $6,330 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 42 | $3,480 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for NWC Anaheim.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for NWC Anaheim 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.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
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 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at NWC Anaheim.
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.
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.