by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Western Iowa Tech Community College, 67% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $4,592 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,530, or about 82.4% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at Western Iowa Tech Community College, freshmen included, 34% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $5,242 in federal loans per year. That is 15.7% above the $4,530 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $10,484 over two years and about $20,968 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 34% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,242 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 873 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,576,169 |
The middle borrower at Western Iowa Tech Community College owes $7,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 Western Iowa Tech Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,500 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $11,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $18,622 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Western Iowa Tech Community College.
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 Western Iowa Tech Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 254 | $7,639 |
| Completed (graduates) | 105 | $7,000 |
| Did not complete | 149 | $7,825 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $83.24/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Western Iowa Tech Community College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 153 | $6,490 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 101 | $9,759 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Western Iowa Tech Community College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Western Iowa Tech Community College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 19.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1405 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,271 |
| Middle income | $7,000 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,905 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,420 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,094 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Western Iowa Tech Community College.
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.
Did You Know?
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.