by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Wilson College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Wilson, 95% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $8,205 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,795. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap 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 Wilson (freshmen included), 90% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $7,597 each per year. That is 31.1% higher than the $5,795 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $15,194 by year two and around $30,388 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 90% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,597 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 671 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,097,496 |
The middle borrower at Wilson owes $19,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,328 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,015 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Wilson.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,900 |
| 25th percentile | $7,750 |
| 75th percentile | $29,315 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $42,953 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Wilson.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Wilson.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 353 | $18,915 |
| Completed (graduates) | 167 | $22,000 |
| Did not complete | 186 | $15,683 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $261.6/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 Wilson.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 248 | $21,199 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 105 | $14,867 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Wilson.
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 Wilson follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 223 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $21,492 |
| Middle income | $18,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,125 |
| Independent students | $20,068 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Wilson.
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
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.