Private nonprofit · College

Bethany Lutheran College

Mankato, Minnesota · Small city

#4 most selective in Minnesota
39.0%
Admit rate
$20,148
Avg net price
55%
Graduation rate
$46,110
Median earnings

Bethany Lutheran College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Mankato, Minnesota (small city setting), enrolling 669 undergraduates. It has a Other religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 669 undergradsSmall citySelective · 39% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Bethany Lutheran College's admitted students.

Admit rate
39.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1040–1180
Avg GPA (est.)
3.39

Enter a test score to see where you land against Bethany Lutheran College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Bethany Lutheran College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Mankato, Minnesota

Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Mankato Township was not settled by European Americans until Parsons King Johnson in February 1852, as part of the 19th-century migration of people from the east across the Midwest. New residents organized the city of Mankato on May 11, 1858, the day Minnesota became a state. Minnesota State University was home to the Minnesota Vikings summer training camp for 52 years. The Vikings announced their training camp would move to Eagan starting in 2018. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
200 miles
Nearest airport
62 miles to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP) · major hub

How Bethany Lutheran College compares

Selectivity39.0%

More selective than 90% · #4 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

SAT average1150

Higher than 45%

Graduation rate55%

Higher than 50% · #25 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention72%

Higher than 36%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,110

Higher than 27% · #32 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$20,148

Cheaper than 50% · #19 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$23,000

Lower than 53%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment669

Larger than 27%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

712students
  • Undergraduate66994%
  • Graduate436%

Undergraduates by gender

669undergrads
  • Women37055%
  • Men29945%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White66%
  • Black3.1%
  • Hispanic5.8%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial24%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
669
Graduate enrollment
43
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$70,558
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,277
Endowment
$48,271,455

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 189 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Minnesota55%
  • Other U.S. states31%
  • International15%

A regional draw: about 55% of first-years come from Minnesota, the rest from elsewhere.

15% came from outside the U.S. 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
39.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1040–1180
SAT average
1150
SAT reading
550–580
SAT math
490–600
ACT composite
21–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.39

Cost

In-state tuition
$31,360
Room & board
$8,620
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$41,013
Average net price
$20,148

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)
55%
Graduated on time (4 years)
43%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$40,652
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$46,110
Median debt at graduation
$23,000
Students with federal loans
44%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
70%

About 11% 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
43%
Low-income (Pell)
64%
First-generation
53%

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
497
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
74%
Housing charge (year)
$3,970
Meal plan (year)
$4,300
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
315 (162 men · 153 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)

Soccer58
Baseball50
Basketball50
Track and Field (Indoor)32
Track and Field (Outdoor)32
Volleyball27
Cross Country18
Softball17
Golf16
Tennis15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (899 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.3

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
$12,571
$30–48k
$16,564
$48–75k
$17,233
$75–110k
$20,099
$110k+
$24,961

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
$74,318

$17,233/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
$16,385
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Bethany Lutheran College itself, averaging $16,385, which softens the sticker price.

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)
$46,110
Typical debt at graduation
$23,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
55%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 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
$40,608
Men
$55,373

Men out-earn women by $14,765 (36%) 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
82°F
Winter low
6°F
Annual rain
33.9″
Annual snow
38.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Mankato, MN US station (1.7 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 Lutheran College

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

Colleges near Bethany Lutheran 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.