by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Middle Tennessee State 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.
At Middle Tennessee State University specifically, 32% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $6,461 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $4,861, equal to roughly 88.4% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at Middle Tennessee State University (freshmen included), 31% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $6,129 a year. That is 26.1% above the first-year federal average of $4,861.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,258 across two years and $24,516 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 31% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,129 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,951 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $30,342,280 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Middle Tennessee State University carry a median federal debt of $14,093 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,093 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Middle Tennessee State University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,532 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Middle Tennessee State University.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Middle Tennessee State University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2102 | $13,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1137 | $14,229 |
| Did not complete | 965 | $12,500 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $169.2/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Middle Tennessee State University.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2062 | $13,527 |
| No Stafford loan | 40 | $12,804 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1880 | $13,162 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 222 | $15,845 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Middle Tennessee State University.
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 Middle Tennessee State University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5903 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $14,294 |
| High income | $13,249 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,853 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,000 |
| Independent students | $15,750 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Middle Tennessee State University.
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.
Important to Remember
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.