Tutor Doctor Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Tutor Doctor franchisees defaulted on 36.2% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 21 of 58 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is higher than the Exam Preparation and Tutoring industry average of 15.3%.
- 36.2%SBA default rate21 of 58 loans
- 58loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 15.3%Exam Preparation and Tutoring averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 3rd lowestindustry rankof 3 Exam Preparation and Tutoring brands
| SBA default rate | 36.2% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 58 |
| Loans charged off | 21 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
| Industry average | 15.3% |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 3 Tutor Doctor SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the Exam Preparation and Tutoring average of 15.3%.
What is the Tutor Doctor franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Tutor Doctor is a Exam Preparation and Tutoring franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Tutor Doctor franchisees: 58 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 21 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201958
- Charged off21
- Charge-off rate36.2%
- Exam Preparation and Tutoring franchise benchmark15.3%
- Brand vs industry2.4x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$103,234
- New SBA loans since 202012
- Early charge-offs since 20201
How does Tutor Doctor compare with other Exam Preparation and Tutoring franchises?
The table sets Tutor Doctor's charge-off rate beside its Exam Preparation and Tutoring peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.
| Measure | Tutor Doctor | Exam Preparation and Tutoring | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 36.2% | 15.3% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 58 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 21 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $103,234 | — | — | — |
What has Tutor Doctor SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Tutor Doctor franchisees have taken 12 new SBA 7(a) loans. 1 has already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are worth noting. Most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 1 has charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| FY2011 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| FY2014 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 5 | 1 | 20.0% |
| FY2016 | 11 | 4 | 36.4% |
| FY2017 | 17 | 5 | 29.4% |
| FY2018 | 10 | 7 | 70.0% |
| FY2019 | 8 | 2 | 25.0% |
| FY2020 | 6 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 4 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 2 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Tutor Doctor's figure rests on 58 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 58 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 1.7 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Tutor Doctor figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 58 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Is Tutor Doctor in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Tutor Doctor's SBA 7(a) default rate was 36.2% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (21 of 58 loans charged off) — the highest of 3 Exam Preparation and Tutoring brands tracked here. A default rate this far above the Exam Preparation and Tutoring average of 15.3% is a signal worth investigating further before investing.
Frequently asked
- What is Tutor Doctor's franchise failure rate?
- Tutor Doctor franchisees defaulted on 36.2% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 21 of 58 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is higher than the Exam Preparation and Tutoring industry average of 15.3%.
- How does Tutor Doctor compare to other Exam Preparation and Tutoring franchises?
- Tutor Doctor's 36.2% SBA default rate is higher than the Exam Preparation and Tutoring industry average of 15.3%. See every Exam Preparation and Tutoring franchise ranked on the Exam Preparation and Tutoring industry page. Exam Preparation and Tutoring franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Tutor Doctor franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 36.2% (21 of 58 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/tutor-doctor/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)