by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Wittenberg University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Wittenberg, 87% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $7,744 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,321, or about 96.7% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at Wittenberg, 87% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,227 in federal loans per year. That is 17.0% more than the $5,321 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,454 after two years and $24,908 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 | 87% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,227 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,100 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,849,242 |
The median student at Wittenberg borrows $23,252 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $23,252 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,000 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Wittenberg.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,750 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Wittenberg.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Wittenberg.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 387 | $24,544 |
| Completed (graduates) | 225 | $34,146 |
| Did not complete | 162 | $16,624 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $406.03/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 Wittenberg.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 375 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 369 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 18 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Wittenberg.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Wittenberg follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 501 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $24,750 |
| Middle income | $22,500 |
| High income | $23,564 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $23,664 |
| Continuing-generation students | $23,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $23,699 |
| Independent students | $15,275 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Wittenberg.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.