by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for The College of Wooster— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Wooster College, 47% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $7,504 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,210, representing 94.7% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Wooster College, 45% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $6,326 a year. It comes to 21.4% above the $5,210 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,652 across two years and $25,304 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 45% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,326 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 838 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,300,877 |
The middle borrower at Wooster College owes $21,115 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $21,115 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,888 |
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 Wooster College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $10,405 |
| 75th percentile | $27,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Wooster College.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at Wooster College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 160 | $31,428 |
| Completed (graduates) | 119 | $42,874 |
| Did not complete | 41 | $23,939 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $509.82/mo.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Wooster 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 Wooster College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 288 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,789 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $22,736 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $22,024 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Wooster College.
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.
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.