by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Winthrop University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Winthrop, 64% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $7,448 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $5,752. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Winthrop, freshmen included, 60% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $6,837 a year. It comes to 18.9% larger than the $5,752 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,674 in two years and roughly $27,348 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 60% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,837 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,057 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,063,380 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Winthrop carry a median federal debt of $19,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,975 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
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 Winthrop.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,250 |
| 75th percentile | $30,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $41,688 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Winthrop.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Winthrop.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 995 | $18,791 |
| Completed (graduates) | 551 | $23,888 |
| Did not complete | 444 | $15,435 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $284.05/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 Winthrop.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 982 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 13 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 888 | $19,677 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 107 | $13,130 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Winthrop.
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 Winthrop appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1531 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,020 |
| Middle income | $18,750 |
| High income | $18,062 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,849 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Winthrop.
Subsidized and 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?
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.