by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Oklahoma Wesleyan University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At OKWU or OWU, 65% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $8,750 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,941, or about 89.8% 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 OKWU or OWU, 65% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,169 per year. It comes to 24.9% above the first-year federal average of $4,941.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,338 after two years and $24,676 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 65% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,169 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 428 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,640,307 |
The median student at OKWU or OWU borrows $16,679 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,679 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,813 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,692 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 OKWU or OWU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,166 |
| 25th percentile | $6,333 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,400 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at OKWU or OWU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at OKWU or OWU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 220 | $24,233 |
| Completed (graduates) | 104 | $43,356 |
| Did not complete | 116 | $17,684 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $515.55/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 OKWU or OWU.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 208 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 12 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for OKWU or OWU.
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 OKWU or OWU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 417 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,750 |
| Middle income | $17,071 |
| High income | $17,624 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,544 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $20,847 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at OKWU or OWU.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Important to Remember
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.