by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Walla Walla University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at Walla Walla U, 47% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $7,854 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,870, or about 88.5% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Walla Walla U, 52% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,782 a year. That is 39.3% larger than the freshman federal average of $4,870.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,564 after two years and $27,128 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 | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,782 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 588 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,987,771 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Walla Walla U carry a median federal debt of $19,306 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,306 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,842 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,032 |
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 Walla Walla U.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,004 |
| 25th percentile | $9,133 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Walla Walla U.
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 Walla Walla U.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 124 | $23,001 |
| Completed (graduates) | 80 | $28,131 |
| Did not complete | 44 | $18,955 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $334.51/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Walla Walla U.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Walla Walla U is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 527 |
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 | $19,166 |
| Middle income | $18,500 |
| High income | $20,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,229 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,857 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Walla Walla U.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.