by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend William Jewell College: 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.
Among first-year students at William Jewell, 89% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $7,123 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,159, or about 93.8% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at William Jewell, 48% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,334 in federal loans per year. That is 22.8% more than the freshman federal average of $5,159.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,668 by year two and around $25,336 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 48% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,334 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 417 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,641,171 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at William Jewell carry a median federal debt of $19,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,498 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
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 William Jewell.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $10,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,714 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at William Jewell.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at William Jewell.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 111 | $20,574 |
| Completed (graduates) | 75 | $25,539 |
| Did not complete | 36 | $13,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $303.69/mo.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. William Jewell.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for William Jewell appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 285 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $18,131 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,829 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $21,300 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for William Jewell.
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.