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.
At Bethel specifically, 61% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $5,365 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,209, or about 94.7% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. 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, 62% take out federal student loans, at an average of $6,991 a year. It comes to 34.2% more than the $5,209 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,982 after two years and $27,964 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,991 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,037 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,249,944 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Bethel carry a median federal debt of $16,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,249 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,952 |
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 Bethel.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $30,583 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $44,270 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Bethel.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Bethel.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 388 | $8,563 |
| Completed (graduates) | 116 | $10,872 |
| Did not complete | 272 | $7,953 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $129.28/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.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 362 | $8,591 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 26 | $7,758 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Bethel.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Bethel is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1375 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,634 |
| Middle income | $18,750 |
| High income | $17,375 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,350 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $20,894 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Bethel.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Did You Know?
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.