Bethel University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Bethel University

Bethel University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota (suburb: large), with a total reported enrollment of 1,871 students of which 3,234 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Bethel University is categorized as “17” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 87.8%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,249 and an ACT midpoint of 24. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $28,556, with published in-state tuition of $44,226 and a Pell grant recipient share of 18.5%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $21,500, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 73.3%, and the first-year retention rate is 85.7%. Graduates earn a median of $63,764 ten years after enrolling, compared with $55,145 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 181200.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 78.1% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.