by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Thomas Edison State University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For undergraduates overall at TESU, 25% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $7,045 a year.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,090 in two years and roughly $28,180 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 25% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,045 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,638 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $11,539,027 |
The median student at TESU borrows $7,813 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,813 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,458 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at TESU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,233 |
| 25th percentile | $3,987 |
| 75th percentile | $13,225 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $23,071 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at TESU.
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 TESU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1255 | $12,562 |
| Completed (graduates) | 260 | $11,459 |
| Did not complete | 995 | $13,309 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $136.26/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at TESU.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1221 | $12,875 |
| No Stafford loan | 34 | $10,687 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 465 | $10,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 790 | $15,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for TESU.
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 TESU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1354 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,125 |
| Middle income | $8,332 |
| High income | $8,333 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,922 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,178 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,314 |
| Independent students | $8,053 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for TESU.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
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.