Private nonprofit · University

Bethel University

Saint Paul, Minnesota · Large suburb

87.8%
Admit rate
$28,556
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$63,764
Median earnings

Bethel University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Saint Paul, Minnesota (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,871 undergraduates. It has a Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,871 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 88% admitNCAA Division III with football · Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Bethel University's admitted students.

Admit rate
87.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1190–1300
Avg GPA (est.)
3.51

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 Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. From the early 17th century to 1837, the Mdewakanton Dakota, a band of the Dakota people, lived near the mounds at the village of Kaposia and consider the area encompassing present-day Saint Paul Bdóte, the site of creation for their people. Every January, Saint Paul hosts the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, a tradition that began in 1886 when a New York reporter called Saint Paul "another Siberia". The organizers had a model in the Montreal Winter Carnival the year before. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
127 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP) · major hub

How Bethel University compares

Selectivity87.8%

More selective than 29% · #21 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

SAT average1249

Higher than 70%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 80% · #10 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention86%

Higher than 78%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,764

Higher than 76% · #11 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$28,556

Cheaper than 19% · #33 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,871

Larger than 56%

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 Minnesota.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,719students
  • Undergraduate1,87169%
  • Graduate84831%

Undergraduates by gender

1,871undergrads
  • Women1,18964%
  • Men68236%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White77%
  • Black6.3%
  • Hispanic7.2%
  • Asian5.0%
  • Other or multiracial4.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,871
Graduate enrollment
848
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
19%
First-generation students
19%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$77,426
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$74,979
Endowment
$109,281,103

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 434 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Minnesota84%
  • Other U.S. states16%

Most first-years stay in state — Bethel University draws overwhelmingly from Minnesota.

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
87.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1190–1300
SAT average
1249
SAT reading
610–650
SAT math
580–650
ACT composite
22–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.51

Cost

In-state tuition
$44,226
Room & board
$12,170
Books & supplies
$1,380
Total cost of attendance
$58,569
Average net price
$28,556

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)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
63%
First-year retention
86%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$55,145
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$63,764
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Students with federal loans
44%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
77%

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)

All students
63%
Low-income (Pell)
56%
First-generation
52%

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
1,566
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
84%
Housing charge (year)
$6,290
Meal plan (year)
$5,800
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
624 (397 men · 227 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)

Track and Field (Indoor)113
Track and Field (Outdoor)107
Football98
Baseball53
Ice Hockey51
Soccer45
Cross Country38
Basketball34
Golf24
Tennis24
Softball19
Volleyball18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,603 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.

7.0reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.0
Fondling
2.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Burglary
1.3

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
$22,218
$30–48k
$22,279
$48–75k
$20,071
$75–110k
$24,963
$110k+
$33,155

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
$84,029

$20,071/year × about 4.2 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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$22,176
average award, among those who get one

Bethel University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $22,176. 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 440 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)
$63,764
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
34%
Out-earn a HS grad
74%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.4 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
$60,351
Men
$70,094

Men out-earn women by $9,743 (16%) 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
8°F
Annual rain
33.1″
Annual snow
40.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Vadnais Lake, MN US station (3.3 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 Bethel University

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

Colleges near Bethel University

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.