by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Westminster University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Westminster College Salt Lake specifically, 85% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $6,597 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,392, representing 98.0% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at Westminster College Salt Lake, 67% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,826 annually. This works out to 26.6% more than the $5,392 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,652 after two years and $27,304 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 67% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,826 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 591 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,034,174 |
The middle borrower at Westminster College Salt Lake owes $18,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Westminster College Salt Lake.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,996 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Westminster College Salt Lake.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Westminster College Salt Lake.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 143 | $24,647 |
| Completed (graduates) | 88 | $25,834 |
| Did not complete | 55 | $21,700 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $307.19/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Westminster College Salt Lake.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 126 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 17 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Westminster College Salt Lake.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Westminster College Salt Lake appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 764 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,256 |
| Middle income | $20,500 |
| High income | $15,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,750 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,750 |
| Independent students | $23,350 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Westminster College Salt Lake.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.
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.