Bethel University

Bethel University is a less selective private nonprofit university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It admits most applicants, graduates 71% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $63,764 ten years after starting college, more than 70% of the Minnesota colleges we cover.

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Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Acceptance rate
88%

More selective than 40% of Minnesota colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$28,556 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $58,569. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
71%

Higher than 75% of Minnesota colleges we cover and 81% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$63,764

Higher than 70% of Minnesota colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

Bethel University acceptance rate & admissions

Of 1,642 applicants, Bethel University admitted 1,494 and 430 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1190–1300 on the SAT or 22–28 on the ACT.

1,642
Applied
1,494
Admitted
430
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1190–1300
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years22–28
First-years who sent SAT scores3%
First-year students who return86%
Pell Grant recipients19%
First-generation students19%
Women / men55% / 45%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

Bethel University 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)

Tuition & fees$44,226
Housing & meals, on campus$12,090
Books & supplies$1,340
Total cost of attendance$58,569

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$18,272
Loan default rate1.9%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What Bethel University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Bethel University 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 Minnesota. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$22,218$92,2053.6 years
$30–48k$22,279$92,4583.6 years
$48–75k$20,071$83,2953.3 years
$75–110k$24,963$103,5964.0 years
$110k+$33,155$137,5935.4 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (64% 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 ($63,764) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $25,580 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.

Best-value colleges in Minnesota for your income →

Bethel University majors, earnings & careers

Bethel University offers 52 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 13
  • Science & Math · 7
  • Business & Finance · 6
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
  • Health & Medicine · 5
  • Arts & Design · 4
  • Education · 4
  • Engineering · 3
  • Communications & Media · 2
  • Technology & Computing · 2

Highest-earning majors at Bethel University

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Human Resources$101,195$29,919
Computer and Information Sciences$97,008—
Nursing$87,511$27,000
Physics$85,657—
Accounting$85,036—
Business Administration$77,059$24,076
Kinesiology / Exercise Science$68,202$24,500
Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$60,919—
Quick list of all 52 majors
  • Accounting$85,036
  • Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$60,919
  • Bible Studies—
  • Biochemistry—
  • Biology$58,005
  • Business Administration$77,059
  • Chemistry—
  • Communications$53,868
  • Computer and Information Sciences$97,008
  • Data Science—
  • Digital Humanities and Textual Studies—
  • Economics—
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$47,556
  • Education (Subject Teaching)$51,866
  • Electrical Engineering—
  • Engineering Science—
  • English—
  • Environmental Science / Conservation—
  • Ethnic / Gender Studies—
  • Finance—
  • Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
  • History—
  • Human Resources$101,195
  • International Relations—
  • Journalism—
  • Kinesiology / Exercise Science$68,202
  • Linguistics—
  • Management Information Systems—
  • Mathematics—
  • Mechanical Engineering—
  • Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions—
  • Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
  • Music—
  • Neuroscience—
  • Nursing$87,511
  • Pastoral Counseling / Ministry—
  • Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
  • Philosophy—
  • Physics$85,657
  • Political Science—
  • Psychology$55,370
  • Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
  • Social Sciences$52,907
  • Social Work$54,448
  • Sociology—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Special Education—
  • Studio Art—
  • Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
  • Theatre—
  • Theology and Religious Vocations, Other—
  • Writing—

— 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 →

Nursing → Registered nurse

$103,040
Minneapolis
$101,510
Minnesota
$97,550
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Business Administration → Management analyst

$101,560
Minneapolis
$100,790
Minnesota
$101,860
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Minneapolis

Cost of living
5% above the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$1,427/mo

2 bedrooms $1,734. Housing costs 12% above the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
25° / 83°

January and July average highs. 33 inches of rain a year, 40 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively High

Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).

FEMA National Risk Index, Ramsey County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)3,521
First-year students from Minnesota82%
Next most common home statesWisconsin, Colorado, Iowa
AthleticsNCAA Division III with football · 12 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-2491% bachelor's · 5% associate · 3% certificates
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 77% · Hispanic 7% · Black 6% · Asian 5%International 0%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Ramsey County at a glance

Population542,945
Median household income$81,568
Adults with a bachelor's degree46%
Median age36

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare Bethel University with similar schools

Similar private colleges in Minnesota by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Bethel University88%$28,55671%$63,764This school
The College of Saint Scholastica93%$27,84671%$65,934
Hamline University88%$20,74460%$61,106
Martin Luther College87%$18,46372%$47,491
Saint Johns University91%$25,67275%$76,786

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Bethel University would cost you $710 more per year than The College of Saint Scholastica, on average.

  • Higher sticker price at Bethel University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$2,448).
  • Bethel University gives aided families $2,756 more in grants, on average.
Per year, Minnesota residentBethel UniversityThe College of Saint ScholasticaDifference
Tuition & fees$44,226$41,778+$2,448
Books & supplies$1,340$1,200+$140
Housing & meals$12,090$11,380+$710
Personal & travel$3,030$2,696+$334
Living-at-home adjustment−$2,117−$1,951−$166
Sticker price$58,569$55,103+$3,466
Average grants−$30,013−$27,257−$2,756
You pay$28,556$27,846+$710

“+” means Bethel University 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 Bethel University

What is the Bethel University acceptance rate?

Bethel University accepts 88% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,494 of 1,642 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1190–1300 on the SAT or 22–28 on the ACT.

How much does Bethel University cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $58,569 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $28,556 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $22,218 and families earning $110k+ pay $33,155.

How much do Bethel University graduates earn?

Former Bethel University students earn a median $63,764 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the Bethel University graduation rate?

71% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 86% return for their second year.

How long does a Bethel University degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Bethel University costs about $83,295 after grants ($20,071 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $63,764 ten years after starting, $25,580 more than high school graduates in Minnesota ($38,184), so the cost is repaid in 3.3 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: “Bethel University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/bethel-university-mn (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).