by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Walsh University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Walsh, 86% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $5,371 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $3,542, which is 64.4% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Across the full undergraduate body at Walsh (freshmen included), 57% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,243 per year. That is 76.3% larger than the $3,542 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,486 across two years and $24,972 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 57% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,243 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 769 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,800,842 |
The median student at Walsh borrows $20,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
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 Walsh.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,000 |
| 25th percentile | $10,500 |
| 75th percentile | $29,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Walsh.
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 Walsh.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 451 | $21,393 |
| Completed (graduates) | 281 | $26,359 |
| Did not complete | 170 | $14,290 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $313.44/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Walsh.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 365 | $22,021 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 86 | $15,922 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Walsh.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Walsh follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 800 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,213 |
| Middle income | $19,000 |
| High income | $21,679 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,104 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $20,500 |
| Independent students | $17,804 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Walsh.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.
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.