Student debt trends: How does educational debt vary by WWU college?

Graduating undergraduates at Western Washington University were asked if they would have any educational debt after graduation. Respondents indicating they would graduate with debt were then asked to estimate a total debt amount.

Overall, debt levels have increased since 2009 for Western graduates. The trend varies greatly by college, however. In the spring 2012 survey, WCE students reported the largest educational debt, while CBE students reported the lowest debt.

About 40 percent of graduating students claim to have incurred no debt while at Western. Among those that do incur debt, the average level reported on the most recent survey is just over $25,000. This debt includes private loans and educational debt incurred on credit cards.

Shown here is the average level of educational debt by college for students completing their degrees in two years, 2009 and 2012. Since 2009, debt has increased for students graduating from all colleges except CST, which has seen a slight decline in average reported debt loads.