by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Western Technical College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Western Technical College, 46% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, borrowing on average $4,996 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,746, representing 86.3% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at Western Technical College (freshmen included), 38% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $5,494 in federal loans per year. This works out to 15.8% above the $4,746 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $10,988 after two years and $21,976 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 38% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,494 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,295 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,115,231 |
The median student at Western Technical College borrows $6,917 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,917 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,500 |
| 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 Technical College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $12,416 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,646 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Western Technical College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Western Technical College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 313 | $9,911 |
| Completed (graduates) | 133 | $9,000 |
| Did not complete | 180 | $10,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $107.02/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Western Technical College.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 198 | $8,586 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 115 | $11,588 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Western Technical College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Western Technical College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1423 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,616 |
| Middle income | $6,382 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,169 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Western Technical College.
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.
Did You Know?
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.