by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Williams Baptist University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At WBU, 58% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $6,699 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $6,749. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at WBU, 47% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $7,767 in federal loans per year. This is 15.1% greater than the freshman federal average of $6,749.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $15,534 across two years and $31,068 over a four-year span. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,767 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 229 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,778,739 |
The middle borrower at WBU owes $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,820 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 WBU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $20,475 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at WBU.
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 WBU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 81 | $12,092 |
| Completed (graduates) | 34 | $17,910 |
| Did not complete | 47 | $10,588 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $212.97/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at WBU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for WBU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 156 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,411 |
| Middle income | $10,000 |
| High income | $11,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,088 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for WBU.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.