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.
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
More selective than 28% · #43 most selective of 49 in Florida
Higher than 1%
Higher than 12% · #55 of 62 in Florida
Higher than 15%
Higher than 12% · #46 of 60 in Florida
Cheaper than 85% · #13 cheapest of 62 in Florida
Lower than 3%
Lower than 23%
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
- Undergraduate2,73296%
- Graduate1154%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Daytona Beach, FL US station (1.7 mi from campus).
What Bethune-Cookman 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 Bethune-Cookman University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bethune-Cookman University side by side →
Virginia Union University
Richmond, Virginia · Midsize city · 2 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 1,203
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 850
- GPA
- 2.6
- Earnings
- $38k
Nelson University
Waxahachie, Texas · Large suburb · 26 mi to Dallas
- Students
- 1,479
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 980
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $46k
Missouri Valley College
Marshall, Missouri · Remote town · 47 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,443
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 974
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $43k
Williams Baptist University
Walnut Ridge, Arkansas · Distant rural · 84 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 478
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 980
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $38k
Goshen College
Goshen, Indiana · Small city · 23 mi to South Bend
- Students
- 773
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 950
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $52k
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
Colleges near Bethune-Cookman University
Daytona State College
Daytona Beach, FL · Public · Associate · 10,176 students
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, FL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,860 students
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide
Daytona Beach, FL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 9,139 students
International Academy
South Daytona, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 186 students
Daytona College
Ormond Beach, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 191 students
Stetson University
DeLand, FL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,297 students
Flagler Technical College
Palm Coast, FL · Public · Certificate · 106 students
Seminole State College of Florida
Sanford, FL · Public · Certificate · 12,864 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.









