by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Wilson Community 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.
Among first-year students at WCC, 8% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $7,500 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $7,500. 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 WCC, 10% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $6,910 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 7.9% less than the $7,500 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,820 by year two and around $27,640 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 10% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,910 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 146 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,008,852 |
The middle borrower at WCC owes $9,004 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,004 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,750 |
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 WCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,509 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $10,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $18,035 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at WCC.
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 WCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 106 | $12,661 |
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at WCC.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 19 | $6,448 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 87 | $13,990 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. WCC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for WCC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 0 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,214 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,214 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for WCC.
The Difference Between 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.