by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Thomas University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At TU specifically, 84% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $2,609 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $2,557, or about 46.5% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at TU, 83% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $3,501 each per year. This is 36.9% more than the $2,557 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $7,002 by year two and around $14,004 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 83% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,501 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 657 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,300,112 |
The middle borrower at TU owes $15,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,198 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at TU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,250 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $24,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at TU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for TU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 165 | $9,864 |
| Completed (graduates) | 88 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 77 | $8,279 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $118.91/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at TU.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 150 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 15 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for TU.
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 TU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 436 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,750 |
| Middle income | $14,000 |
| High income | $14,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,625 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for TU.
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.
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.