Private nonprofit · University
Bethel University
Mishawaka, Indiana · Small city
- 97.7%
- Admit rate
- $18,610
- Avg net price
- 53%
- Graduation rate
- $48,860
- Median earnings
Bethel University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Mishawaka, Indiana (small city setting), enrolling 1,008 undergraduates. It has a Missionary Church Inc religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Bethel University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 97.7%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 900–1150
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 2.91
Enter a test score to see where you land against Bethel University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Bethel University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. Mishawaka's recorded history began with the discovery of bog iron deposits at the beginning of the 1830s. Settlers arriving to mine the deposits founded the town of St. Joseph Iron Works in 1831. Old-fashioned neighborhoods are found across the city. Many of the newer residential subdivisions that have been developed within the city in recent years have adopted design guidelines to produce the "hometown" neighborhood feel and encourage community spirit. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 3 miles to South Bend, IN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 27 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to South Bend (SBN)
How Bethel University compares
More selective than 8% · #41 most selective of 42 in Indiana
Higher than 9%
Higher than 46% · #28 of 45 in Indiana
Higher than 38%
Higher than 35% · #30 of 44 in Indiana
Cheaper than 56% · #21 cheapest of 45 in Indiana
Lower than 34%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 38%
Percentiles compare Bethel University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Indiana.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,00891%
- Graduate1029%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women66966%
- Men33934%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black5.8%
- Hispanic12%
- Asian1.3%
- Other or multiracial15%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,008
- Graduate enrollment
- 102
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 33%
- First-generation students
- 32%
- Students over 25
- 13%
- Median family income
- $45,226
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $57,618
- Endowment
- $11,719,776
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 97.7%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 900–1150
- SAT average
- 1014
- SAT reading
- 460–580
- SAT math
- 440–570
- ACT composite
- 16–24
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 2.91
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $34,600
- Room & board
- $11,140
- Books & supplies
- $1,230
- Total cost of attendance
- $43,885
- Average net price
- $18,610
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)
- 53%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 41%
- First-year retention
- 72%
- Transferred to another college
- 33%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $44,271
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $48,860
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 56%
About 12% 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
- 723
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 72%
- Housing charge (year)
- $4,960
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,600
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NAIA Division II
- Varsity athletes
- 650 (330 men · 320 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.6 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 8
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,167 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.
$12,673/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.
Bethel University discounts heavily: 94% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $18,474. 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 247 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)
- $48,860
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 51%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 61%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.1 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 $15,213 (34%) 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
- 17°F
- Annual rain
- 40.9″
- Annual snow
- 64.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, S Bend, IN US station (3.2 mi from campus).
What Bethel University 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 Bethel University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bethel University side by side →
Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois · Distant town · 46 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 955
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1038
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $47k
Aquinas College
Grand Rapids, Michigan · Midsize city · 2 mi to Grand Rapids
- Students
- 1,083
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1025
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $50k
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Buckhannon, West Virginia · Remote town · 88 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 954
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1052
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $52k
Wilmington College
Wilmington, Ohio · Distant town · 29 mi to Dayton
- Students
- 1,006
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1029
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $48k
Mid-America Christian University
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Large city · 9 mi to Oklahoma City
- Students
- 1,666
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1020
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $46k
Wilson College
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania · Small city · 46 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 865
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1000
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Bethel University
Lil Lou's Beauty and Barber College - South Bend
South Bend, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 39 students
Indiana University-South Bend
South Bend, IN · Public · Bachelor's · 3,933 students
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 8,818 students
John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences
South Bend, IN · Private for-profit · Associate · 480 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Granger
Mishawaka, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 172 students
Holy Cross College
Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 639 students
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,458 students
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Elkhart, IN · Private nonprofit · Graduate
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.













