More selective than 93% of West Virginia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $50,758. College Scorecard.
Higher than 61% of West Virginia colleges we cover and 36% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 47% of West Virginia colleges we cover and 24% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Bethany College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 2,435 applicants, Bethany College admitted 1,473 and 243 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Bethany College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Bethany College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Bethany College took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in West Virginia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $14,315 | $59,550 | 5.0 years |
| $30–48k | $15,239 | $63,394 | 5.4 years |
| $48–75k | $17,641 | $73,387 | 6.2 years |
| $75–110k | $22,434 | $93,325 | 7.9 years |
| $110k+ | $27,214 | $113,210 | 9.6 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (39% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($44,512) minus $32,695 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in WV (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $11,817 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Bethany College majors, earnings & careers
Bethany College offers 32 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 8
- Science & Math · 7
- Business & Finance · 5
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Bethany College
Not enough graduates in any one major to report earnings.
Quick list of all 32 majors
- Accounting—
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services—
- Biology—
- Business Administration—
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer Science—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance—
- German—
- History—
- International / Global Studies—
- International Relations—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Work—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Weirton
Overall prices in the Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,007. Housing costs 48% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 38 inches of rain a year, 15 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Brooke County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Brooke County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Bethany College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in West Virginia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany College | 59% | $18,605 | 47% | $44,512 | This school |
| University of Charleston | 62% | $22,107 | 46% | $55,774 | |
| Wheeling University | 63% | $20,503 | 23% | $57,949 | |
| Appalachian Bible College | 78% | $11,579 | 71% | $37,467 | |
| Davis & Elkins College | 94% | $18,273 | 39% | $43,411 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Bethany College would cost you $3,502 less per year than University of Charleston, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Bethany College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$2,965).
- Bethany College gives aided families $7,790 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, West Virginia resident | Bethany College | University of Charleston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $36,765 | $33,800 | +$2,965 |
| Books & supplies | $700 | $2,000 | −$1,300 |
| Housing & meals | $12,936 | $11,162 | +$1,774 |
| Personal & travel | $2,716 | $2,730 | −$14 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,359 | −$3,222 | +$863 |
| Sticker price | $50,758 | $46,470 | +$4,288 |
| Average grants | −$32,153 | −$24,363 | −$7,790 |
| You pay | $18,605 | $22,107 | −$3,502 |
“+” means Bethany College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Bethany College
What is the Bethany College acceptance rate?
Bethany College accepts 59% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,473 of 2,435 applicants were admitted.
How much does Bethany College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $50,758 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $18,605 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $14,315 and families earning $110k+ pay $27,214.
How much do Bethany College graduates earn?
Former Bethany College students earn a median $44,512 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Bethany College graduation rate?
47% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 54% return for their second year.
How long does a Bethany College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Bethany College costs about $73,387 after grants ($17,641 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $44,512 ten years after starting, $11,817 more than high school graduates in West Virginia ($32,695), so the cost is repaid in 6.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Bethany College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/bethany-college-wv (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).