by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Western New England University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Western New England, 91% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, at roughly $7,920 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $5,332, amounting to 96.9% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Western New England, freshmen included, 80% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $6,642 each per year. That is 24.6% more than the $5,332 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,284 after two years and $26,568 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 80% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,642 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,014 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,377,365 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Western New England carry a median federal debt of $19,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Western New England.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,650 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Western New England.
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 New England.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 562 | $36,282 |
| Completed (graduates) | 394 | $42,068 |
| Did not complete | 168 | $25,180 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $500.23/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Western New England.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 508 | $38,366 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 54 | $22,125 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Western New England.
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 Western New England appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 987 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $20,059 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $22,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Western New England.
The Difference Between 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.
Important to Remember
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.