by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Widener University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at Widener, 81% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $9,942 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,506. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Widener, 73% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $6,705 per year. That amounts to 21.8% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,506.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,410 across two years and $26,820 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 | 73% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,705 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,014 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,503,617 |
The middle borrower at Widener owes $24,567 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $24,567 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,300 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Widener.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,570 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $28,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Widener.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Widener.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 950 | $28,553 |
| Completed (graduates) | 670 | $33,146 |
| Did not complete | 280 | $21,861 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $394.14/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 Widener.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 940 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 861 | $29,600 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 89 | $16,804 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Widener.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Widener follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1822 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $22,125 |
| Middle income | $24,953 |
| High income | $25,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $24,957 |
| Continuing-generation students | $24,046 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $25,182 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Widener.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.