Arkansas Baptist College
Little Rock, Arkansas · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 4/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Arkansas Baptist College, a tiny private HBCU in Little Rock, posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 4/100. The completion rate is 7.4%. Average 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 three-year repayment rate is 48.1%, falling to 20.4% by year seven. Arkansas Baptist plays a real HBCU community role, but the borrowing math is uniquely bad.
How Arkansas Baptist College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score4/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.21 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate7.4% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped 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 |
| Average 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, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $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.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,375, which works out to about $269 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($21,000) and comes to 1.21, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings.
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 | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 57.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 48.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 26.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 20.4% | 72.8% |
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.
| 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: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Arkansas Baptist College scores 4/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $10,627 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $28,418 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 7.4% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.21 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 48.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,375 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $21,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.21. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Arkansas Baptist College: Common Questions
Is Arkansas Baptist College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Arkansas Baptist College scores 4/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $10,627 a year after aid against $28,418 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Arkansas Baptist College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $10,627 a year, or roughly $42,508 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. 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, at or below 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 more than 50 years for Arkansas Baptist College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Arkansas Baptist College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,375, against average earnings of $21,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.21. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Arkansas Baptist College?
The six-year graduation rate is 7.4%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). 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.