by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Bethel University— 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 Bethel University, 66% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $6,301 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,299, amounting to 96.3% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Bethel University, 47% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $6,739 in federal loans per year. This works out to 27.2% greater than the $5,299 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,478 in two years and roughly $26,956 after four. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,739 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 499 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,363,000 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Bethel University carry a median federal debt of $19,293 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,293 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,213 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Bethel University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,410 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,673 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Bethel University.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Bethel University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 190 | $14,371 |
| Completed (graduates) | 112 | $15,256 |
| Did not complete | 78 | $11,995 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $181.41/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Bethel University.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 161 | $14,347 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 29 | $15,486 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Bethel University.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Bethel University is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 676 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,061 |
| Middle income | $20,500 |
| High income | $17,320 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $20,059 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Bethel University.
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.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.