by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Thomas Aquinas College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at TAC, 75% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $4,512 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $3,598, representing 65.4% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at TAC (freshmen included), 67% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $4,869 each per year. That amounts to 35.3% greater than the $3,598 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $9,738 after two years and $19,476 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 | 67% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,869 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 361 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,757,796 |
The median student at TAC borrows $18,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,375 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for TAC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,250 |
| 25th percentile | $12,750 |
| 75th percentile | $18,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at TAC.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for TAC.
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 TAC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 88 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| High income | $18,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at TAC.
Subsidized and 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.
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.