by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Texas State Technical College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at TSTC, 32% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $5,093 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,331, equal to roughly 78.7% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. 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 TSTC, 27% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $4,775 annually. That is 10.3% larger than the $4,331 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $9,550 in two years and roughly $19,100 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 27% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,775 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,457 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $11,732,854 |
The median student at TSTC borrows $6,334 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,334 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,300 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for TSTC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,834 |
| 25th percentile | $3,167 |
| 75th percentile | $10,167 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,814 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at TSTC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for TSTC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 452 | $9,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 169 | $10,131 |
| Did not complete | 283 | $8,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $120.47/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at TSTC.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 441 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 291 | $9,978 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 161 | $7,400 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for TSTC.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for TSTC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 29.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2077 |
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 | $6,399 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,334 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for TSTC.
Subsidized vs. 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.