by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Potomac State College of West Virginia University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at WVU Potomac State College, 36% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $6,423 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,995, or about 90.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at WVU Potomac State College (freshmen included), 36% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $5,592 each per year. This works out to 12.0% greater than the first-year federal average of $4,995.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,184 in two years and roughly $22,368 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 | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,592 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 341 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,906,988 |
The median student at WVU Potomac State College borrows $15,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,864 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for WVU Potomac State College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,106 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at WVU Potomac State College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at WVU Potomac State College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3775 | $25,969 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2403 | $32,980 |
| Did not complete | 1372 | $18,857 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $392.17/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at WVU Potomac State College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 3695 | $26,464 |
| No Stafford loan | 80 | $16,045 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 3488 | $26,990 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 287 | $16,082 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. WVU Potomac State College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for WVU Potomac State College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 6503 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,250 |
| Middle income | $15,250 |
| High income | $16,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,146 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,500 |
| Independent students | $14,583 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at WVU Potomac State College.
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.
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.