by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Northwest State Community College— 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.
Among first-year students at Northwest State Community College, 21% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $3,464 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $3,464, amounting to 63.0% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at Northwest State Community College, 18% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $3,542 annually. It comes to 2.3% higher than the freshman federal average of $3,464.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $7,084 after two years and $14,168 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 18% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,542 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 190 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $673,049 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Northwest State Community College carry a median federal debt of $5,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,330 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Northwest State Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,826 |
| 75th percentile | $10,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,895 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Northwest State Community College.
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 Northwest State Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 303 | $12,370 |
| Completed (graduates) | 53 | $11,971 |
| Did not complete | 250 | $12,447 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $142.35/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Northwest State Community College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 72 | $10,215 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 231 | $13,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Northwest State Community College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Northwest State Community College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 14.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1211 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,250 |
| Middle income | $5,850 |
| High income | $6,750 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,994 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $5,438 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Northwest State Community College.
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
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.