by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of West Alabama— 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.
Among first-year students at University of West Alabama, 71% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $8,717 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $8,068. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at University of West Alabama, freshmen included, 66% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $8,137 a year. This works out to 0.9% more than the first-year federal average of $8,068.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $16,274 in two years and roughly $32,548 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 | 66% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,137 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,757 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,296,311 |
The median student at University of West Alabama borrows $13,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,944 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for University of West Alabama.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at University of West Alabama.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at University of West Alabama.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1305 | $14,523 |
| Completed (graduates) | 418 | $14,000 |
| Did not complete | 887 | $15,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $166.47/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 University of West Alabama.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1185 | $14,847 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 120 | $12,850 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. University of West Alabama.
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 University of West Alabama follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1869 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $13,250 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,876 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,500 |
| Independent students | $10,115 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at University of West Alabama.
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
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.