Franchise Failure Rates

SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026

Sylvan Learning Center Franchise Failure Rate on SBA Loans: 3 of 18 Charged Off (Federal Data)

3 of 18
SBA 7(a) loans to Sylvan Learning Center franchisees (FY2010–2019) ended in charge-off
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Sylvan Learning Center against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Sylvan Learning Center 16.7%; Exam Preparation and Tutoring 15.3%; All franchises 10.2%Sylvan Learning Center 16.7%; Exam Preparation and Tutoring 15.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%15%Sylvan Learning Center16.7% (small sample)Exam Preparation andTutoring15.3%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Sylvan Learning Center 16.7%; Exam Preparation and Tutoring 15.3%; All franchises 10.2%Sylvan Learning Center 16.7%; Exam Preparation and Tutoring 15.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%15%Sylvan Learning Center16.7% (small sample)Exam Preparation and Tutoring15.3%All franchises10.2%

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.

3 of 18 Sylvan Learning Center SBA borrowers failed to repay — too few loans to call a rate; read it as a flag, not a verdict.

3 of 18 SBA 7(a) loans to Sylvan Learning Center franchisees (2010–2019) ended in charge-off. The sample is small; treat this as a diligence flag, not a verdict. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Sylvan Learning Center franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Sylvan Learning Center 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 Sylvan Learning Center franchisees: 18 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 3 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.

How does Sylvan Learning Center compare with other Exam Preparation and Tutoring franchises?

The table sets Sylvan Learning Center'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.

Sylvan Learning Center versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureSylvan Learning CenterExam Preparation and TutoringAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate16.7% (small sample)15.3%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample18———
Defaults3———
Average loan size$235,028———
Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Sylvan Learning Center SBA 7(a) loans that later defaulted (FY2010–FY2019); years with fewer than 10 loans are outlined, not filled
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 29% of 7 loans; FY2011 25% of 4 loans; FY2012 0% of 4 loans; FY2013 0% of 3 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 29% of 7 loans; FY2011 25% of 4 loans; FY2012 0% of 4 loans; FY2013 0% of 3 loans0%5%10%29%2010n=725%2011n=40%2012n=40%2013n=3
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 29% of 7 loans; FY2011 25% of 4 loans; FY2012 0% of 4 loans; FY2013 0% of 3 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 29% of 7 loans; FY2011 25% of 4 loans; FY2012 0% of 4 loans; FY2013 0% of 3 loans0%5%10%29%’10n=725%’11n=40%’12n=40%’13n=3

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY20107228.6%
FY20114125.0%
FY2012400.0%
FY2013300.0%

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?

Sylvan Learning Center's figure rests on 18 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the count is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 18 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 5.6 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 Sylvan Learning Center figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Small sample (18 loans). A single default moves this figure substantially.

Frequently asked

What is Sylvan Learning Center's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
3 of 18 SBA 7(a) loans to Sylvan Learning Center franchisees (2010–2019) ended in charge-off. The sample is small; treat this as a diligence flag, not a verdict. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Sylvan Learning Center a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, 3 of 18 SBA loans to Sylvan Learning Center franchisees were charged off. The sample is small. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Sylvan Learning Center franchise SBA 7(a) loan outcomes, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 3 of 18 loans charged off. Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/sylvan-learning-center/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)