by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Western Washington University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at WWU, 37% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,517 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $4,901, amounting to 89.1% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at WWU, 29% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $5,951 a year. This works out to 21.4% higher than the first-year federal average of $4,901.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $11,902 over two years and about $23,804 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 29% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,951 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,003 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $23,821,503 |
The median student at WWU borrows $13,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for WWU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,666 |
| 25th percentile | $7,000 |
| 75th percentile | $24,424 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,438 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at WWU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for WWU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1723 | $20,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1123 | $23,123 |
| Did not complete | 600 | $17,536 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $274.96/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at WWU.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1643 | $20,521 |
| No Stafford loan | 80 | $14,191 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1566 | $20,998 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 157 | $14,828 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. WWU.
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 WWU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2488 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,477 |
| Middle income | $13,000 |
| High income | $14,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $16,728 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at WWU.
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.
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.