by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Wilmington College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Wilmington College, 100% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $6,973 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,402, equal to roughly 98.2% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Wilmington College, 76% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $6,992 a year. It comes to 29.4% more than the $5,402 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,984 after two years and $27,968 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 76% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,992 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 703 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,915,480 |
The middle borrower at Wilmington College owes $14,782 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,782 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,208 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,538 |
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 Wilmington College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,000 |
| 25th percentile | $8,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,200 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Wilmington College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Wilmington College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 270 | $17,413 |
| Completed (graduates) | 144 | $27,288 |
| Did not complete | 126 | $13,728 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $324.48/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Wilmington College.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 257 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 13 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Wilmington College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Wilmington College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 497 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,131 |
| Middle income | $15,969 |
| High income | $15,536 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,412 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,697 |
| Independent students | $15,820 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Wilmington College.
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.
Did You Know?
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.