by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend West Virginia University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at WVU, 56% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $5,505 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,148, or about 93.6% 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 WVU, 47% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,081 each per year. It comes to 18.1% greater than the $5,148 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,162 after two years and $24,324 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,081 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 8,319 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $50,585,391 |
The median student at WVU borrows $15,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,864 |
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 WVU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,106 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at WVU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at WVU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3775 | $25,969 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2403 | $32,980 |
| Did not complete | 1372 | $18,857 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $392.17/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at WVU.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 3695 | $26,464 |
| No Stafford loan | 80 | $16,045 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 3488 | $26,990 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 287 | $16,082 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for WVU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for WVU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 6503 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,250 |
| Middle income | $15,250 |
| High income | $16,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,146 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,500 |
| Independent students | $14,583 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for WVU.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.