by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 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 WCUPA, 67% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $9,796 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,359, or about 97.4% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at WCUPA (freshmen included), 55% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $6,285 per year. That is 17.3% more than the $5,359 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,570 over two years and about $25,140 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 55% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,285 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 7,789 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $48,950,421 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at WCUPA carry a median federal debt of $18,750 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $17,513 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for WCUPA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at WCUPA.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for WCUPA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2588 | $23,063 |
| Completed (graduates) | 270 | $25,362 |
| Did not complete | 2318 | $22,981 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $301.58/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at WCUPA.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2558 | $23,290 |
| No Stafford loan | 30 | $18,877 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2208 | $23,577 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 380 | $20,100 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. WCUPA.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for WCUPA is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2943 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,744 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $18,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $18,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for WCUPA.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.