by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Western Governors University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At WGU specifically, 51% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $4,469 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,389, representing 79.8% 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at WGU, freshmen included, 43% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $5,947 each per year. That amounts to 35.5% larger than the freshman federal average of $4,389.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,894 across two years and $23,788 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 | 43% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,947 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 58,645 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $348,733,425 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at WGU carry a median federal debt of $8,318 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,318 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,116 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,812 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for WGU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,815 |
| 25th percentile | $4,040 |
| 75th percentile | $16,058 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,653 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at WGU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at WGU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 15280 | $10,302 |
| Completed (graduates) | 7476 | $10,876 |
| Did not complete | 7804 | $10,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $129.33/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at WGU.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 15154 | $10,321 |
| No Stafford loan | 126 | $8,826 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 10527 | $9,820 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 4753 | $12,142 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for WGU.
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 WGU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5343 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,219 |
| Middle income | $8,540 |
| High income | $9,602 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,246 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,588 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,500 |
| Independent students | $8,589 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at WGU.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.