Private nonprofit · College

Bethany College

Lindsborg, Kansas · Remote rural

#5 most selective in Kansas
56.0%
Admit rate
$27,686
Avg net price
36%
Graduation rate
$49,694
Median earnings

Bethany College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Lindsborg, Kansas (remote rural setting), enrolling 569 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 569 undergradsRemote ruralSelective · 56% admitNAIA Division II · Kansas Collegiate Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Lindsborg, Kansas

Lindsborg is a city in McPherson County, Kansas, United States. From the 16th to the 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau. In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. Chocolate Lovers Affair & Art Auction is an annual February fundraiser in support of a vibrant arts community and graduates pursuing art. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
64 miles to Wichita, KS
To Great Lakes shore
576 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to Salina (SLN)

How Bethany College compares

Selectivity56.0%

More selective than 80% · #5 most selective of 24 in Kansas

Graduation rate36%

Higher than 17% · #20 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention43%

Higher than 3%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,694

Higher than 38% · #21 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$27,686

Cheaper than 22% · #18 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$23,250

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment569

Larger than 24%

Percentiles compare Bethany College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kansas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

573students
  • Undergraduate56999%
  • Graduate41%

Undergraduates by gender

569undergrads
  • Women19434%
  • Men37566%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White47%
  • Black20%
  • Hispanic26%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial7.0%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
569
Graduate enrollment
4
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
48%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$45,677
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$41,364
Endowment
$13,171,944

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
56.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$33,000
Room & board
$13,977
Books & supplies
$691
Total cost of attendance
$53,738
Average net price
$27,686

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
36%
Graduated on time (4 years)
28%
First-year retention
43%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$40,805
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,694
Median debt at graduation
$23,250
Students with federal loans
70%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
60%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
28%
Low-income (Pell)
39%
First-generation
38%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
635
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$7,400
Meal plan (year)
$5,925
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Football conference
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
504 (347 men · 157 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)100
Football92
Baseball80
Basketball74
Soccer59
Softball31
Volleyball26
Tennis18
Golf15
Wrestling9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (615 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.0
Rape
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$22,561
$30–48k
$24,432
$48–75k
$27,302
$75–110k
$30,580
$110k+
$33,313

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$117,871

$27,302/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$19,358
average award, among those who get one

Bethany College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $19,358. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 259 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$49,694
Typical debt at graduation
$23,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
47%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$42,411
Men
$53,543

Men out-earn women by $11,132 (26%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
94°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
33.6″
Annual snow
14.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Smolan 1NE, KS US station (11.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Bethany College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bethany College side by side →

Colleges near Bethany College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.