by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Belmont Abbey College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At BAC, 81% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $4,233 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $3,087, amounting to 56.1% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at BAC, 51% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,403 each per year. That is 107.4% higher than the $3,087 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,806 over two years and about $25,612 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 51% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,403 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 738 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,725,348 |
The middle borrower at BAC owes $14,560 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,560 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,783 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for BAC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $30,963 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $44,750 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at BAC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at BAC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 350 | $22,082 |
| Completed (graduates) | 174 | $38,303 |
| Did not complete | 176 | $16,338 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $455.46/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at BAC.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 336 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 14 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. BAC.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for BAC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 499 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,500 |
| Middle income | $14,560 |
| High income | $15,250 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,750 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for BAC.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Important to Remember
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.