by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Tennessee Technological 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.
Looking at the entering class at Tennessee Tech University, 42% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,448 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $4,994, equal to roughly 90.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Tennessee Tech University, 35% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $5,944 a year. That amounts to 19.0% above the $4,994 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $11,888 in two years and roughly $23,776 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 35% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,944 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,972 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $17,666,751 |
The median student at Tennessee Tech University borrows $11,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,650 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 Tennessee Tech University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,985 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $20,280 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Tennessee Tech University.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Tennessee Tech University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 652 | $10,405 |
| Completed (graduates) | 358 | $11,640 |
| Did not complete | 294 | $9,500 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $138.41/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Tennessee Tech University.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 640 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 594 | $10,483 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 58 | $8,751 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Tennessee Tech University.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Tennessee Tech University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2123 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $11,000 |
| Middle income | $11,850 |
| High income | $10,628 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Tennessee Tech University.
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.
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.