by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Wesleyan University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Wesleyan U, 16% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $8,380 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $3,985, equal to roughly 72.5% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at Wesleyan U, 17% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $5,140 each per year. This works out to 29.0% more than the $3,985 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $10,280 over two years and about $20,560 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 17% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,140 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 501 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,574,995 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Wesleyan U carry a median federal debt of $13,824 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,824 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $17,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,477 |
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 Wesleyan U.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,739 |
| 75th percentile | $19,703 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Wesleyan U.
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 Wesleyan U.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 134 | $43,557 |
| Completed (graduates) | 104 | $59,531 |
| Did not complete | 30 | $21,840 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $707.89/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Wesleyan U.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 108 | $51,957 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 26 | $18,071 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Wesleyan U.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Wesleyan U follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 384 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,988 |
| Middle income | $12,782 |
| High income | $16,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,000 |
| Independent students | $11,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Wesleyan U.
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
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.