by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend William Peace University: 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 WPU, 55% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, borrowing on average $7,649 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,733. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at WPU, freshmen included, 50% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $7,161 a year. That amounts to 24.9% greater than the $5,733 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,322 by year two and around $28,644 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 50% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,161 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 333 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,384,577 |
The middle borrower at WPU owes $15,145 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,145 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 WPU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,530 |
| 25th percentile | $6,982 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,251 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at WPU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at WPU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 315 | $27,951 |
| Completed (graduates) | 175 | $40,688 |
| Did not complete | 140 | $18,206 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $483.82/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at WPU.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 302 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 13 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 286 | $29,713 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 29 | $14,870 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for WPU.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for WPU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 250 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,553 |
| Middle income | $16,375 |
| High income | $13,875 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,289 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,750 |
| Independent students | $13,200 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for WPU.
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.
Did You Know?
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.