by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Western Nebraska Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at WNCC, 9% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $3,571 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $3,500, which is 63.6% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at WNCC, 12% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $4,421 in federal loans per year. This is 26.3% above the $3,500 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $8,842 in two years and roughly $17,684 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 | 12% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,421 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 116 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $512,815 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at WNCC carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,279 |
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 WNCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,458 |
| 25th percentile | $2,460 |
| 75th percentile | $8,475 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $13,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at WNCC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at WNCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 83 | $8,600 |
| Completed (graduates) | 23 | $10,800 |
| Did not complete | 60 | $8,087 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $128.42/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at WNCC.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 34 | $7,188 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 49 | $12,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for WNCC.
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 WNCC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 397 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,500 |
| Middle income | $5,279 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,489 |
| Independent students | $6,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at WNCC.
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.
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.