by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Wentworth Institute of Technology, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at WIT, 65% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $10,951 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,349, or about 97.3% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. 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 WIT, 58% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $6,449 annually. It comes to 20.6% more than the $5,349 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,898 across two years and $25,796 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 | 58% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,449 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,085 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,445,313 |
The median student at WIT borrows $18,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,028 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for WIT.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $10,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at WIT.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for WIT.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 559 | $39,705 |
| Completed (graduates) | 310 | $65,597 |
| Did not complete | 249 | $29,116 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $780.02/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at WIT.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 545 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 14 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 524 | $40,895 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 35 | $26,248 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for WIT.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for WIT follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 983 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $19,000 |
| High income | $18,186 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $19,532 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for WIT.
Subsidized and 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.
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.