by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Western Nevada College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At WNC specifically, 2% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,370 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $6,370. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at WNC (freshmen included), 6% take out federal student loans, averaging $6,771 each per year. That is 6.3% greater than the $6,370 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,542 by year two and around $27,084 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 6% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,771 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 118 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $798,997 |
The middle borrower at WNC owes $9,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,622 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for WNC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $4,000 |
| 75th percentile | $20,709 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,460 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at WNC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for WNC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 103 | $8,043 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. WNC.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for WNC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 17.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 357 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $8,000 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,040 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,286 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for WNC.
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.
Important to Remember
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.