by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Walters State Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at WSCC, 0% of first-year students take on loan debt.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 0% |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 0 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $0 |
The median student at WSCC borrows $3,277 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $3,277 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,250 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for WSCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $911 |
| 25th percentile | $1,400 |
| 75th percentile | $4,680 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $6,906 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at WSCC.
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 WSCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 159 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 57 | $11,000 |
| Did not complete | 102 | $12,206 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $130.8/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 WSCC.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 147 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at WSCC.
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 WSCC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 716 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $3,269 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $2,750 |
| Independent students | $3,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for WSCC.
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.
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.