Private nonprofit · University

Bethune-Cookman University

Daytona Beach, Florida · Small city

88.2%
Admit rate
$12,030
Avg net price
31%
Graduation rate
$38,518
Median earnings

Bethune-Cookman University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Daytona Beach, Florida (small city setting), enrolling 2,732 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,732 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 88% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Bethune-Cookman University's admitted students.

Admit rate
88.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
830–990
Avg GPA (est.)
2.62

Enter a test score to see where you land against Bethune-Cookman University's admitted students.

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

About Daytona Beach, Florida

Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. At the time of European contact, the area where Daytona Beach is located was inhabited by the Freshwater people, a branch of the Timucua. The town of Nocoroco in what is now Tomoka State Park was the most important in the region. The Museum of Arts and Sciences is the primary cultural facility for Daytona Beach and Volusia County. Other museums located in the city include the Southeast Museum of Photography and the Halifax Historical Museum. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
51 miles to Orlando, FL
To the ocean
2 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Daytona Beach (DAB)

How Bethune-Cookman University compares

Selectivity88.2%

More selective than 28% · #43 most selective of 49 in Florida

SAT average880

Higher than 1%

Graduation rate31%

Higher than 12% · #55 of 62 in Florida

First-year retention62%

Higher than 15%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,518

Higher than 12% · #46 of 60 in Florida

Average net price$12,030

Cheaper than 85% · #13 cheapest of 62 in Florida

Median debt at graduation$31,000

Lower than 3%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment2,732

Larger than 66%

Percentiles compare Bethune-Cookman University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Florida.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,847students
  • Undergraduate2,73296%
  • Graduate1154%

Undergraduates by gender

2,732undergrads
  • Women1,65060%
  • Men1,08240%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • Black54%
  • Hispanic5.3%
  • Other or multiracial40%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,732
Graduate enrollment
115
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
78%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$22,914
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,503
Endowment
$41,110,832

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
88.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
830–990
SAT average
880
SAT reading
430–510
SAT math
400–480
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
2.62

Cost

In-state tuition
$14,794
Room & board
$10,396
Books & supplies
$1,450
Total cost of attendance
$29,764
Average net price
$12,030

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)
31%
Graduated on time (4 years)
16%
First-year retention
62%
Transferred to another college
38%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$28,282
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,518
Median debt at graduation
$31,000
Students with federal loans
82%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
13%

About 14% 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
16%
Low-income (Pell)
26%
First-generation
25%

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
2,200
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
81%
Housing charge (year)
$7,376
Meal plan (year)
$3,020
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
426 (293 men · 133 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)

Football117
Track and Field (Outdoor)83
Track and Field (Indoor)82
Baseball40
Basketball31
Cross Country25
Softball19
Volleyball17
Golf6
Tennis6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (2,853 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.

6.3reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.3
Aggravated assault
2.0
Rape
0.7
Robbery
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

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
$10,896
$30–48k
$11,487
$48–75k
$14,346
$75–110k
$17,882
$110k+
$18,654

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
$67,537

$14,346/year × about 4.7 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.

96%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,207
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 96% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,207. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 953 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)
$38,518
Typical debt at graduation
$31,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
80%
Out-earn a HS grad
38%

Typical debt would take roughly 8.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

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
$39,004
Men
$37,869

Women out-earn men by $1,135 (3%) 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
89°F
Winter low
49°F
Annual rain
53.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.46.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Daytona Beach, FL 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 Bethune-Cookman University

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

Colleges near Bethune-Cookman 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.