by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend SUNY Westchester Community College— 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.
Looking at the entering class at SUNY Westchester Community College, 16% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $3,440 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $3,440, which is 62.5% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
For undergraduates overall at SUNY Westchester Community College, 11% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $4,112 each per year. That is 19.5% above the $3,440 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $8,224 after two years and $16,448 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 | 11% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,112 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 880 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,618,363 |
The middle borrower at SUNY Westchester Community College owes $5,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,400 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at SUNY Westchester Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at SUNY Westchester Community College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for SUNY Westchester Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1198 | $18,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 46 | $34,555 |
| Did not complete | 1152 | $17,601 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $410.9/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at SUNY Westchester Community College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1160 | $18,129 |
| No Stafford loan | 38 | $14,720 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 194 | $14,606 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1004 | $19,359 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for SUNY Westchester 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 SUNY Westchester Community College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 917 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $5,500 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $7,125 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at SUNY Westchester Community College.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.