Arkansas Baptist College
Little Rock, Arkansas · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 4/100 · Poor Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Arkansas Baptist College, a tiny private HBCU in Little Rock, posts a Poor Value ROI score of 4/100 - the second-lowest in our dataset. The headline metrics are catastrophic. The 7.4% completion rate is among the worst on the entire CampusROI dataset: more than 92% of students who enroll do not finish. Median earnings six years after entry are just $21,000, actually below the typical high school graduate (earnings premium of -15.5%). Median earnings climb only to $28,418 by year ten. Median federal debt of $25,375 against those earnings produces a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.208 and a payback period flagged at 999 years - earnings effectively never recoup cost. Tuition is $8,760, net price is $10,627, and four-year cost is $42,508. The 48.1% three-year repayment rate erodes badly over time - falling to just 20.4% by year seven - which is the strongest signal of distress in this dataset. Arkansas Baptist plays a real HBCU community role, but the borrowing math is uniquely bad.
The data raises concerns about Arkansas Baptist College
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score4/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.21 - Advisors recommend total student debt stay below one year of salary (ratio under 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate7.4% - Well below the 64% national average (NCES, 2022). Non-completion is the fastest route to negative ROI.
- Payback period>50 years - Graduates earn at or near the level of high school completers - the cost may not recoup within a working career.
Arkansas Baptist College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $8,760/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $8,760/yr |
| Average net price | $10,627/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $42,508 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $28,418 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $21,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,375 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $269 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 7.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 342 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $8,760/year. Here's the part that matters - almost nobody pays that. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $10,627/year, or roughly $42,508 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $7,715/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $25,375 in federal loans, which works out to about $269 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $28,418 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 1.21, which is high - the rule of thumb is that total debt should not top your first-year salary, and this is over that line.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $7,715 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $11,741 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,496 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,055 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $7,715 net per year, the most affordable bracket. Pell covers most of tuition. The cost side is genuinely low, but the 7.4% completion rate makes even modest borrowing extremely risky - most low-income students will end up with debt but no credential.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $11,741, and $48,001-$75,000 jumps sharply to $19,496 - the cost ramp is unusually steep, signaling minimal institutional aid for middle-income families. $75,001-$110,000 pays $20,055, close to sticker.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Scorecard reports no net price for households above $110,000 at Arkansas Baptist, reflecting the absence of high-income enrollees in the data sample. Full-pay families considering Arkansas Baptist should expect to pay close to the full $20,000-plus per year published for the upper-middle bracket.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 57.7% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 48.1% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 26.7% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 20.4% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Arkansas Baptist College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 342 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 79.4% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,099 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, and the school does not publish SAT or ACT mid-ranges through IPEDS. Arkansas Baptist operates as an open-access HBCU with minimal admissions filtering. The 78.6% Pell rate combined with the 7.4% completion rate signals that the institution is essentially functioning as a community-based recruitment site without the institutional capacity to support persistence to graduation.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Arkansas Baptist's peer set is awkward: Lyon College is a higher-resource Arkansas liberal arts college, Naropa is a specialized Buddhist-inflected university in Colorado, and East-West is a Chicago-based school - none are true mission peers. Central Baptist College (Arkansas) and Morris College (South Carolina HBCU) are the closest comparisons. Morris College in particular shares the small-HBCU, faith-based, low-resource profile and posts similarly distressed ROI metrics. Students considering Arkansas Baptist should also benchmark against University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a community-college-to-four-year transfer pathway.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Baptist College (this school) | 4 | $10,627 | $28,418 |
| Central Baptist College | 40 | $12,287 | $46,789 |
| Lyon College | 29 | $19,616 | $44,232 |
| Naropa University | 9 | $29,179 | $28,720 |
| East-West University | 4 | $21,697 | $29,963 |
| Morris College | 3 | $20,555 | $30,614 |
Who Thrives Here
Pell rate of 78.6% and enrollment of just 342 mark Arkansas Baptist as a very small, heavily low-income, mission-driven HBCU. The school fits students seeking a faith-based historically Black college community in central Arkansas. Given a 7.4% completion rate and median 10-year earnings of $28,418, students borrowing at the federal $5,500-$7,500 freshman caps face statistically high odds of leaving with debt and no degree. The financial value proposition is essentially nonexistent; the case for enrollment is community and faith.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
We'll be straight with you: the numbers at Arkansas Baptist College are a real concern. With a net cost of $10,627 per year and the typical graduate earning only $28,418 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost - go in with your eyes open.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 7.4% graduation rate, high debt relative to what graduates earn, concerning loan repayment rates, a long payback period.
Be careful with the debt here. A median $25,375 owed against $28,418 in earnings is heavy, and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89 is past the level advisors flag. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Arkansas Baptist College: Common Questions
Is Arkansas Baptist College worth it?
In our view, the numbers are a real concern - for most students the financial return does not justify the cost. Arkansas Baptist College scores 4/100 on our ROI scale. At $10,627 a year after aid against $28,418 in typical earnings ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years.
How much does Arkansas Baptist College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - what students actually pay after grants and scholarships - is about $10,627 a year, or roughly $42,508 over four years. That is the number to plan around, not the sticker price. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Arkansas Baptist College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $28,418 ten years after enrolling, near the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Arkansas Baptist College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about >50 years for Arkansas Baptist College. Most four-year schools we track land between 4 and 10 years.
How much debt do Arkansas Baptist College graduates take on?
Median debt at graduation is about $25,375, against $28,418 in typical earnings a decade out. At a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89, that is past the level advisors flag, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Arkansas Baptist College?
The six-year graduation rate is 7.4%, below the 64% national average (NCES, 2022) - and not finishing is the fastest route to a poor return. Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.