by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At NWKTC, 79% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $6,471 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,765. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at NWKTC, freshmen included, 75% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,269 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 8.7% more than the first-year federal average of $5,765.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,538 over two years and about $25,076 after four. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 75% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,269 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 259 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,623,712 |
The middle borrower at NWKTC owes $8,717 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,717 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for NWKTC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at NWKTC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for NWKTC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 40 | $9,888 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. NWKTC.
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 NWKTC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 118 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,750 |
| Middle income | $8,750 |
| High income | $8,163 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,875 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,986 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,729 |
| Independent students | $9,625 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at NWKTC.
The Difference Between 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
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.