Private nonprofit · College
Bethany College
Bethany, West Virginia · Fringe rural
- 58.8%
- Admit rate
- $18,605
- Avg net price
- 47%
- Graduation rate
- $44,512
- Median earnings
Bethany College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Bethany, West Virginia (fringe rural setting), enrolling 614 undergraduates. It has a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) religious affiliation.
About Bethany, West Virginia
Bethany is a town in southern Brooke County, West Virginia, United States. Scotch-Irish minister Alexander Campbell established a post office in the area of his homestead around 1827. In 1840, he founded Bethany College, and then platted the town in 1847. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 34 miles to Pittsburgh, PA
- To Great Lakes shore
- 108 miles
- Nearest airport
- 26 miles to Pittsburgh (PIT) · major hub
How Bethany College compares
More selective than 77% · #2 most selective of 15 in West Virginia
Higher than 33% · #9 of 20 in West Virginia
Higher than 8%
Higher than 23% · #9 of 19 in West Virginia
Cheaper than 56% · #17 cheapest of 19 in West Virginia
Lower than 11%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 25%
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 West Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate61496%
- Graduate254%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women17929%
- Men43571%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White44%
- Black15%
- Hispanic5.4%
- Other or multiracial35%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 614
- Graduate enrollment
- 25
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 51%
- First-generation students
- 34%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $50,433
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $57,753
- Endowment
- $52,403,983
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 240 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From West Virginia20%
- Other U.S. states80%
A national draw — only 20% of first-years come from West Virginia; 80% arrive from other states.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 58.8%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $36,765
- Room & board
- $13,210
- Books & supplies
- $740
- Total cost of attendance
- $50,758
- Average net price
- $18,605
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)
- 47%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 38%
- First-year retention
- 54%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,124
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $44,512
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 75%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 47%
About 9% 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)
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
- 720
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,004
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,460
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Presidents' Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 521 (332 men · 189 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 (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 24.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 16
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 30
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (640 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$17,641/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.
Bethany College discounts heavily: 98% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $28,014. 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 176 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)
- $44,512
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 61%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 54%
Typical debt would take roughly 6.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
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 out-earn men by $159 (0%) 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
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 22°F
- Annual rain
- 37.5″
- Annual snow
- 15.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wheeling Ohio CO AP, WV US station (5 mi from campus).
What Bethany College graduates study — and earn
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 →
University of the Ozarks
Clarksville, Arkansas · Remote town · 56 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 767
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1105
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $44k
Lyon College
Batesville, Arkansas · Remote town · 80 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 648
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $44k
Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois · Distant town · 36 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 471
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
Gallaudet University
Washington, District of Columbia · Large city · 2 mi to Washington
- Students
- 812
- Admission
- 58%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 868
- GPA
- 2.7
- Earnings
- $43k
Union Commonwealth University
Barbourville, Kentucky · Remote town · 63 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 746
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 980
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $42k
Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large city · 7 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 631
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1020
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $49k
Colleges near Bethany College
West Liberty University
West Liberty, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 1,511 students
Trinity Health System School of Nursing
Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 26 students
Wheeling University
Wheeling, WV · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 589 students
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,901 students
West Virginia Northern Community College
Wheeling, WV · Public · Associate · 1,014 students
Elite Academy of Hair Design
Bridgeport, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 61 students
Washington Health System School of Nursing
Washington, PA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 37 students
Western Area Career & Technology Center
Canonsburg, PA · Public · Certificate · 23 students
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.














