Arlington Baptist University
Arlington, Texas · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 14/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Arlington Baptist University earns a 14 ROI score (Below Benchmark tier). Tuition is $20,830, but net price after aid is $24,906, with four-year total cost at $99,624. The net price exceeds tuition because limited institutional aid leaves room and board uncovered. Median earnings ten years out are $44,644 against $27,000 median debt - a 1.019 debt-to-earnings ratio (scoring 5/100), meaning the average borrower owes more than they earn in a year. The 24.8-year payback period is severe. Completion is 19.4%. Repayment runs 58.1%, indicating roughly four in ten former students aren't paying down loans on schedule. This is a small Bible college serving a vocational-ministry population, and the conventional ROI math is severely negative. Earnings effectively never recoup cost. The only defensible value proposition is denominational mission fit.
How Arlington Baptist University 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 Score14/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.02 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate19.4% - 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 period24.8 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Arlington Baptist University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $20,830/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $20,830/yr |
| Average net price | $24,906/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $99,624 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,644 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 24.8 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 19.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 284 |
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: $20,830/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 $24,906/year, or roughly $99,624 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 $21,759/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,941/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,500) and comes to 1.02, 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 | $21,759 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $21,518 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $26,892 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $28,642 |
| $110,001+ | $25,941 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $21,759 - and the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays a slightly lower $21,518. Limited institutional aid means even Pell-eligible students face high net costs. Four-year totals are $86,000-$87,000, against $44,644 median earnings.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $26,892, climbing to $28,642 for $75,001-$110,000. The aid scaling is steep through middle-income brackets. At nearly $30K/year, middle-income families pay close to sticker tuition, and the conventional ROI math is severely negative.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $25,941 - actually less than the $28,642 paid by the $75,001-$110,000 bracket. This is a meaningful bracket inversion at the top, likely reflecting merit-aid awards concentrated on better-prepared students from upper-income households. Worth flagging for the unusual pattern, though the absolute cost is still high relative to earnings outcomes.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Arlington Baptist University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $32,360 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts and Sciences is the only reported program, with 8 graduates, first-year earnings of $32,360 against $31,000 in median debt - a D grade and 0.958 ratio. The debt level is well above the campus median ($27,000) for these specific students, indicating heavier borrowing for those completing this generalist credential. With earnings nearly equal to debt, the first decade of loan payments will be severely constrained. The bachelor's-only outcomes do not capture students continuing to seminary, which is the typical ABU trajectory.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 56.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 58.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 55.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 57.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Arlington Baptist University’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 | 284 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 53.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,195 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data for Arlington Baptist University, and no SAT/ACT mid-ranges are published. Bible colleges of this size typically use faith-statement requirements and pastor-recommendation processes rather than academic selectivity. The 19.4% completion rate suggests significant academic-readiness variance among admitted students, combined with the financial pressures many face given the 53% Pell rate.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington Baptist University (this school) | 14 | $24,906 | $44,644 |
| Trinity Bible College and Graduate School | 18 | $19,359 | $35,604 |
| Toccoa Falls College | 16 | $21,642 | $36,630 |
| Southwestern Christian University | 14 | $20,146 | $40,391 |
| Emmanuel University | 12 | $20,925 | $38,208 |
| Great Lakes Christian College | 12 | $15,524 | $31,053 |
Who Thrives Here
With 284 students and a 53.1% Pell rate, ABU serves a small, lower-income, predominantly Baptist evangelical student body in the DFW metroplex. Strong fit: students with a clear ministry calling, deep denominational commitment, and family/church financial support that minimizes borrowing. Poor fit: students who haven't committed to ministry, or those who would borrow at the campus median ($27,000) - at that debt level, debt is large relative to the $44,644 earnings median.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Arlington Baptist University scores 14/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $24,906 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,644 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 24.8 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 19.4% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.02 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 58.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.02. 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.
Arlington Baptist University: Common Questions
Is Arlington Baptist University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Arlington Baptist University scores 14/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $24,906 a year after aid against $44,644 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 24.8 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Arlington Baptist University 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 $24,906 a year, or roughly $99,624 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 Arlington Baptist University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,644 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,844 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Arlington Baptist University?
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 24.8 years for Arlington Baptist University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Arlington Baptist University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $26,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.02. 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 Arlington Baptist University?
The six-year graduation rate is 19.4%. 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.