by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Baptist Health College Little Rock— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at BHCLR, 33% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $8,458 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,400. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Across the full undergraduate body at BHCLR (freshmen included), 61% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $6,405 annually. It comes to 0.1% greater than the first-year federal average of $6,400.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,810 by year two and around $25,620 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 61% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,405 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 312 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,998,417 |
The median student at BHCLR borrows $9,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,875 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for BHCLR.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $15,930 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $22,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at BHCLR.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at BHCLR.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 153 | $11,208 |
| Completed (graduates) | 109 | $12,000 |
| Did not complete | 44 | $8,997 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $142.69/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at BHCLR.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 131 | $11,078 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 22 | $12,079 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. BHCLR.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for BHCLR follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 424 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,589 |
| High income | $8,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,711 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,657 |
| Independent students | $10,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at BHCLR.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Did You Know?
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.