by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Missouri Baptist University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at MBU, 67% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,403 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,648. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at MBU (freshmen included), 64% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, for a typical $7,258 annually. It comes to 28.5% higher than the $5,648 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,516 across two years and $29,032 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 64% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,258 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 925 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,714,080 |
The median student at MBU borrows $17,726 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,726 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,751 |
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 MBU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at MBU.
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 MBU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 456 | $14,207 |
| Completed (graduates) | 274 | $17,265 |
| Did not complete | 182 | $11,446 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $205.3/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at MBU.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 402 | $14,732 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 54 | $8,858 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for MBU.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for MBU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 990 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $18,098 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,933 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,171 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $21,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at MBU.
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.