by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Wichita State University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At WSU specifically, 41% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $8,354 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $6,580. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at WSU (freshmen included), 39% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $7,509 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 14.1% above the freshman federal average of $6,580.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $15,018 across two years and $30,036 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 39% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,509 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,072 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $30,577,582 |
The middle borrower at WSU owes $14,700 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,700 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,500 |
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 WSU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,617 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,268 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at WSU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for WSU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1222 | $13,336 |
| Completed (graduates) | 658 | $14,306 |
| Did not complete | 564 | $12,983 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $170.11/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at WSU.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1199 | $13,347 |
| No Stafford loan | 23 | $11,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1012 | $13,399 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 210 | $13,139 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. WSU.
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 WSU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3237 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,303 |
| Middle income | $14,304 |
| High income | $14,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,937 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,750 |
| Independent students | $17,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at WSU.
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.
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.