by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Virginia Wesleyan University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at VWU, 70% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $7,406 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,498, equal to roughly 100.0% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at VWU (freshmen included), 59% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $6,549 per year. This works out to 19.1% greater than the $5,498 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,098 over two years and about $26,196 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 59% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,549 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 732 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,794,138 |
The median student at VWU borrows $14,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 VWU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at VWU.
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 VWU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 384 | $23,001 |
| Completed (graduates) | 135 | $39,446 |
| Did not complete | 249 | $18,250 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $469.05/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at VWU.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 366 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 18 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for VWU.
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 VWU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 411 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $12,750 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $13,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,625 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,625 |
| Independent students | $15,479 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for VWU.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.