by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Webster University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Webster, 50% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $7,894 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,488, amounting to 99.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Webster, 46% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,907 per year. This is 25.9% above the freshman federal average of $5,488.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,814 by year two and around $27,628 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 46% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,907 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,011 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,983,474 |
The median student at Webster borrows $18,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
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 Webster.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,125 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Webster.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Webster.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1558 | $13,678 |
| Completed (graduates) | 854 | $13,587 |
| Did not complete | 704 | $13,942 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $161.56/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Webster.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1028 | $13,568 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 530 | $14,056 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Webster.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Webster follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5284 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $18,400 |
| High income | $16,750 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,750 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,500 |
| Independent students | $19,870 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Webster.
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.
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.