Private nonprofit · College
Bethany Lutheran College
Mankato, Minnesota · Small city
- 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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 66 miles to Minneapolis, MN
- 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
More selective than 90% · #4 most selective of 35 in Minnesota
Higher than 45%
Higher than 50% · #25 of 39 in Minnesota
Higher than 36%
Higher than 27% · #32 of 38 in Minnesota
Cheaper than 50% · #19 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota
Lower than 53%
Lower than 59%
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
- Undergraduate66994%
- Graduate436%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$17,233/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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Mankato, MN US station (1.7 mi from campus).
What Bethany Lutheran 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 Lutheran College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bethany Lutheran College side by side →
Mount Marty University
Yankton, South Dakota · Remote town · 58 mi to Sioux Falls
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
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The College of Idaho
Caldwell, Idaho · Midsize suburb · 24 mi to Boise
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- Admission
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College of Saint Mary
Omaha, Nebraska · Large city · 5 mi to Omaha
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- Admission
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Millsaps College
Jackson, Mississippi · Midsize city · 2 mi to Jackson
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- Earnings
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Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor, Michigan · Fringe rural · 36 mi to Lansing
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- Earnings
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Thomas University
Thomasville, Georgia · Distant town · 32 mi to Tallahassee
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- 998
- Admission
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- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
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- Earnings
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Colleges near Bethany Lutheran College
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 11,703 students
South Central College
North Mankato, MN · Public · Associate · 1,946 students
Gustavus Adolphus College
Saint Peter, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,878 students
Martin Luther College
New Ulm, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 725 students
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,093 students
Carleton College
Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,086 students
Crown College
Saint Bonifacius, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 796 students
Normandale Community College
Bloomington, MN · Public · Associate · 7,044 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.












