by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended Education: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Northwest University CAPS, 64% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $4,266 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $4,266, equal to roughly 77.6% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the 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 Northwest University CAPS, freshmen included, 60% take out federal student loans, for a typical $7,019 per year. That is 64.5% larger than the $4,266 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,038 by year two and around $28,076 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 60% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,019 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 285 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,000,365 |
The median student at Northwest University CAPS borrows $15,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,891 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Northwest University CAPS.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,345 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Northwest University CAPS.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Northwest University CAPS.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 228 | $15,420 |
| Completed (graduates) | 147 | $17,284 |
| Did not complete | 81 | $14,202 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $205.53/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 University CAPS.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 214 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 14 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Northwest University CAPS.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Northwest University CAPS appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 432 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,881 |
| Middle income | $15,732 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $16,750 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Northwest University CAPS.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.