by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Wingate University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Wingate, 53% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $6,780 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,416, which is 98.5% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Wingate, 52% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,520 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 20.4% more than the first-year federal average of $5,416.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,040 after two years and $26,080 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,520 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,277 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,326,038 |
The middle borrower at Wingate owes $12,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Wingate.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,000 |
| 75th percentile | $26,908 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,839 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Wingate.
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 Wingate.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 673 | $16,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 360 | $27,506 |
| Did not complete | 313 | $10,475 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $327.08/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 Wingate.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 652 | $16,131 |
| No Stafford loan | 21 | $13,500 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 631 | $16,146 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 42 | $13,170 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Wingate.
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 Wingate follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 529 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,500 |
| Middle income | $13,069 |
| High income | $12,845 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,566 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $17,851 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Wingate.
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.