Arkansas Baptist College
Little Rock, Arkansas · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 4/100 · Poor Value
Arkansas Baptist College, a tiny private HBCU in Little Rock, posts a Poor Value ROI score of 4/100 - the second-lowest in this batch. 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 60% national average. 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 sticker price at Arkansas Baptist College is $8,760/year. But sticker price isn't what most students pay. After grants, scholarships, and financial aid, the average student pays a net price of $10,627/year, or roughly $42,508 over four years.
That net price varies significantly by family income. The lowest-income families (under $30,000/year) pay an average of $7,715/year, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
The median graduate leaves with $25,375 in federal loan debt, translating to an estimated monthly payment of $269 on a standard 10-year repayment plan. Against median earnings of $28,418 ten years out, the debt-to-earnings ratio is 1.21 - above the recommended threshold where total debt should not exceed first-year salary.
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
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
The financial data raises serious concerns about Arkansas Baptist College. With a net cost of $10,627 per year and median graduate earnings of only $28,418 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost.
Areas of concern include weak earnings relative to cost and a 7.4% graduation rate and high debt relative to what graduates earn and concerning loan repayment rates and a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,375 against $28,418 in earnings is concerning. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89 exceeds the commonly recommended threshold. Major choice is critical here.
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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.