Bethany College
Lindsborg, Kansas · Private Nonprofit · 56.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 31/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS scores 31 (Below Benchmark) on the CampusROI scale. The combination of a 35.7% completion rate, $32,100 average 6-year earnings, and a 17.1-year payback period gives it that score. Sticker tuition is $33,000 and net price is $27,686 - high for the outcomes produced. Median debt of $23,250 with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.724 means graduates spend 72 cents of every earnings dollar on annual debt service relative to what they borrowed. The program data is sparse - only two programs have full ROI data - which limits analysis but confirms the weak overall picture.
How Bethany College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score31/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate35.7% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period17.1 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Bethany College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $33,000/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $33,000/yr |
| Average net price | $27,686/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $110,744 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $49,694 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $32,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $246 |
| Estimated payback period | 17.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 35.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 569 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $33,000/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $27,686/year, or roughly $110,744 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $22,561/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $33,313/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,250, which works out to about $246 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($32,100) and comes to 0.72, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $22,561 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $24,432 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $27,302 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $30,580 |
| $110,001+ | $33,313 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Low-income families (under $30,000) pay $22,561 net per year at Bethany. At 48.2% Pell grant rate, this demographic represents the majority of Bethany's enrollment. The risk of non-completion for students carrying this cost burden is severe.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $27,302 per year, and the $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $30,580. At these price points, over $100,000 for four years, Bethany's outcomes data does not support the cost under our methodology.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
High-income families ($110,000+) pay $33,313 per year - essentially the full sticker price with minimal aid. At $32,100 average 6-year earnings and a 17.1-year payback, no income segment produces a good financial case for Bethany. Students and families choosing Bethany at full price are making a decision based on community fit, tradition, or financial aid package specifics that are not captured in these aggregate figures.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Bethany College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $39,643 | D |
| Business, General | $47,895 | - |
| Biology | $54,633 | D |
| Political Science and Government | $50,697 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Business, General
Business is Bethany's largest program with complete data at 20 graduates, earning $47,895 at four years (year-one data not available). No debt or ROI grade data is available for this cohort.
Biology
Biology (18 graduates) earns $29,330 at year one and $54,633 at four years, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.814 (ROI grade D) and $23,875 median debt. Year-one earnings are $29,330. The four-year jump to $54,633 likely reflects a subset of graduates who entered medical or professional school, pulling the median up. At Bethany's cost, biology is almost exclusively defensible as a pre-professional track, and completion of medical or PA school requires additional years and debt that are not captured here.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology and Exercise Science is Bethany's second-largest tracked program at 28 graduates, with $28,881 first-year earnings, $39,643 at four years, and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.866 (ROI grade D). These are poor outcomes: year-one earnings of $28,881 barely cover basic living expenses, and the four-year figure of $39,643 reflects physical training and coaching wages in a rural market. Against $25,000 median debt and a $27,686 net price, the financial case is very weak. Kinesiology at Bethany appears to be a social-fit program - students interested in sports and wellness - rather than a career preparation track with strong labor market outcomes.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 73.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 84.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 66.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 69.4% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Bethany College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 56.0% |
| Enrollment | 569 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 48.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,596 |
Bethany's admission rate is 56%. No test score data is published. The selectivity level does not reflect academic rigor so much as enrollment management at a small, financially stressed institution. The 35.7% completion rate is the critical data point - fewer than 4 in 10 students who start at Bethany finish a degree.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany College (this school) | 31 | $27,686 | $49,694 |
| Baker University | 65 | $25,301 | $63,855 |
| Benedictine College | 45 | $27,891 | $53,175 |
| St. John's College | 33 | $45,597 | $51,584 |
| Bluefield University | 32 | $25,573 | $48,896 |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | 29 | $22,451 | $46,945 |
Who Thrives Here
Bethany admits 56% of applicants (no SAT/ACT data) in a rural Swedish Lutheran heritage community in central Kansas. At 569 students and 48.2% Pell grant rate, the campus is small, financially stressed, and serves a predominantly low-to-middle income population that can least afford the poor outcomes this school produces. The school fits students for whom the specific faith tradition, small-town Kansas culture, and arts programming (Bethany has a music tradition) outweigh financial considerations. It does not fit students whose primary goal is labor market preparation - no program here produces strong earnings, and most result in D-grade ROI.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Bethany College scores 31/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $27,686 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $49,694 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 17.1 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: high loan repayment success. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 35.7% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $32,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Bethany College: Common Questions
Is Bethany College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Bethany College scores 31/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $27,686 a year after aid against $49,694 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 17.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Bethany College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $27,686 a year, or roughly $110,744 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Bethany College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $49,694 ten years after enrolling, roughly $7,894 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Bethany College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 17.1 years for Bethany College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Bethany College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,250, against average earnings of $32,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Bethany College?
The six-year graduation rate is 35.7%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.