by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Westmont College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Westmont, 60% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,738 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,057, equal to roughly 91.9% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at Westmont (freshmen included), 51% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $6,450 annually. This is 27.5% greater than the $5,057 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,900 after two years and $25,800 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 51% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,450 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 674 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,347,626 |
The median student at Westmont borrows $19,343 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,343 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Westmont.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Westmont.
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 Westmont.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 162 | $52,674 |
| Completed (graduates) | 114 | $61,820 |
| Did not complete | 48 | $22,507 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $735.11/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Westmont.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Westmont follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 292 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $12,907 |
| Middle income | $21,249 |
| High income | $19,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,148 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Westmont.
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
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.