by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend California Baptist University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Cal Baptist, 62% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $8,592 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,214, representing 94.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Cal Baptist, 62% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $7,418 each per year. This is 42.3% higher than the $5,214 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,836 across two years and $29,672 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,418 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,907 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $36,398,559 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Cal Baptist carry a median federal debt of $20,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,063 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,000 |
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 Cal Baptist.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,250 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $42,800 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Cal Baptist.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Cal Baptist.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1777 | $26,736 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1067 | $31,387 |
| Did not complete | 710 | $20,960 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $373.22/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Cal Baptist.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1755 | $26,712 |
| No Stafford loan | 22 | $43,000 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1670 | $27,247 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 107 | $18,690 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Cal Baptist.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Cal Baptist follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1451 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $21,500 |
| Middle income | $21,542 |
| High income | $19,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,325 |
| Independent students | $25,062 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Cal Baptist.
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
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.