by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for St. Thomas University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at STU, 76% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, at roughly $6,555 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,576. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at STU, 62% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,282 per year. It comes to 12.7% larger than the $5,576 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,564 by year two and around $25,128 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,282 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,223 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,683,444 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at STU carry a median federal debt of $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,125 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 STU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,726 |
| 75th percentile | $27,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,486 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at STU.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at STU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 494 | $11,499 |
| Completed (graduates) | 205 | $13,272 |
| Did not complete | 289 | $10,400 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $157.82/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at STU.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 479 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 15 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 391 | $11,819 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 103 | $9,614 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. STU.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for STU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 912 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $8,292 |
| High income | $9,250 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,247 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,500 |
| Independent students | $10,822 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at STU.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Worth Knowing
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.