by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Woodbury University— 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 Woodbury, 51% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $5,575 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,154, equal to roughly 93.7% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Woodbury, 58% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $7,556 each per year. That is 46.6% higher than the freshman federal average of $5,154.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $15,112 across two years and $30,224 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 58% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,556 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 481 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,634,564 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Woodbury carry a median federal debt of $21,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $21,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,960 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Woodbury.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $14,000 |
| 75th percentile | $39,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $53,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Woodbury.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Woodbury.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 275 | $33,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 131 | $39,059 |
| Did not complete | 144 | $29,334 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $464.45/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Woodbury.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 265 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 262 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 13 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Woodbury.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Woodbury follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 442 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $24,199 |
| Middle income | $21,500 |
| High income | $18,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $22,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $20,500 |
| Independent students | $30,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Woodbury.
The Difference Between 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?
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.