by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend North-West College-West Covina— 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.
At NWC West Covina specifically, 87% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $6,702 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $6,301. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at NWC West Covina, 68% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $5,948 annually. That amounts to 5.6% under the $6,301 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,896 over two years and about $23,792 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 | $5,948 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 702 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,175,347 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at NWC West Covina carry a median federal debt of $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 | $4,724 |
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 NWC West Covina.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,427 |
| 25th percentile | $5,401 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,845 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at NWC West Covina.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at NWC West Covina.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 150 | $5,835 |
| Completed (graduates) | 118 | $6,490 |
| Did not complete | 32 | $4,214 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $77.17/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at NWC West Covina.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for NWC West Covina follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 529 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,857 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at NWC West Covina.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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
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.