Private Nonprofit Bachelor's Fair 46/100

Bethany College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Lindsborg, Kansas

About Bethany College

Thinking about Bethany College, a college in Kansas where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Bethany College is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Lindsborg, Kansas. It enrolls 569 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
56%
Graduation
35.9%
Net Price
$27,686
Median Earnings (10yr)
$49,694
Enrollment
569
Student : Faculty
12:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar 4-1-4 Plan

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Fair
46/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 7
Value 12
Affordability 52
Selectivity 45

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Bethany College admits 56% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
56%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Bethany College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 10.9 pts since 2019
67.7%201968.3%202071.9%202166%202278.6%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $27,686 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$27,686
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
48%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
70%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$33,000
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,977
Room & Board (off-campus)
$6,788
Books & Supplies
$691
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$8,418
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$8,418
Total Cost of Attendance
$53,738

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $22,561
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $24,432
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $27,302
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $30,580
  • Over $110,000
    $33,313

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,750
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$23,250
Median percentile
$23,500
75% percentile
$33,035
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $9,500 ↓ $13,750
No Pell $8,750 ↓ $14,500
Dependent students $9,500 ↓ $13,750
Independent students $10,250 ↓ $13,000
Female students $12,000 ↓ $11,250
Male students $8,250 ↓ $15,000
Pell recipients: 16.3% (3,792 students)No Pell: 15.0% (3,492 students)Dependent students: 16.3% (3,792 students)Independent students: 17.6% (4,091 students)Female students: 20.6% (4,790 students)Male students: 14.2% (3,293 students)Overall Median$23,250
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($23,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

36% of students who start here finish within six years, and 46% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
36%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
46%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $49,694 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$49,694
Earning > $25K
77%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$39,000$42,000$45,000$48,000$51,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$38,500

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$49,500

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$41,100

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$43,200

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$49,300

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $11,000, about 22% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 11.1 pts across 6 years
73.7%1yr84.1%3yr82.4%5yr84.8%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 85% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 569 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 33% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
569
Part-Time
1%
First-Generation
33%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 46.9% 267
Hispanic 25.7% 146
Black 19.5% 111
Other 3.7% 21
International 2.1% 12
Asian 0.9% 5
White: 46.9% (267 students)Hispanic: 25.7% (146 students)Black: 19.5% (111 students)Other: 3.7% (21 students)International: 2.1% (12 students)Asian: 0.9% (5 students)Total569

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Bethany College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Rural: Remote Lindsborg, Kansas
Housing
Strongly residential 635 beds for 569 students
Adult Learners
3% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
4-1-4 Plan scheduling structure
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Recreation & Fitness graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Bethany College offers a varied set of programs: 23 distinct programs across 12 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

5 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program
5 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 12 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
12:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$28M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$41,350
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

40 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 5 13% $57,695
Associate Professors 15 38% $43,679
Assistant Professors 17 43% $36,235
Instructors 3 8% $31,446

Pros & Cons of Bethany College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Bethany College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Most students take on federal loans
Best for: Based on the data, Bethany College is a fit for students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bethany College

The questions families ask most about Bethany College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Bethany College hard to get into?
Admissions at Bethany College are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 56%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Bethany College?
56% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Bethany College cost?
Budget around $27,686 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Bethany College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $49,694 a year against a net price of $27,686, about 1.8 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Bethany College known for?
Mostly Kinesiology, Business & Management, Other, Biology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Bethany College graduates earn?
About $49,694 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Bethany College accredited?
Yes. Bethany College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Bethany College?
569 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Bethany College?
36% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Bethany College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Bethany College located?
Bethany College is located in Lindsborg, Kansas.
What programs does Bethany College offer?
23 different programs, most commonly Kinesiology, Business & Management, Other, Biology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Bethany College?
12 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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