by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Washtenaw Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Washtenaw Community College, 24% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $5,257 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,257, equal to roughly 95.6% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Washtenaw Community College, 22% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $6,437 annually. That amounts to 22.4% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,257.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,874 over two years and about $25,748 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 22% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,437 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,706 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,982,239 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Washtenaw Community College carry a median federal debt of $7,855 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,855 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,310 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,812 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Washtenaw Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $12,127 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,389 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Washtenaw Community College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Washtenaw Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1398 | $13,953 |
| Completed (graduates) | 201 | $13,879 |
| Did not complete | 1197 | $13,979 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $165.04/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Washtenaw Community College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1362 | $14,031 |
| No Stafford loan | 36 | $10,820 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 437 | $9,729 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 961 | $16,603 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Washtenaw Community College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Washtenaw Community College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 14.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2999 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,465 |
| Middle income | $7,250 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,938 |
| Independent students | $9,071 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Washtenaw Community College.
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
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.