Bethany College
Bethany, West Virginia · Private Nonprofit · 58.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 25/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Bethany College earns a ROI score of 25/100, placing it in the Below Benchmark tier. The fundamentals are weak across the board: a 46.8% completion rate (under half of entering students graduate), median ten-year earnings of $44,512 producing only a 12.8% earnings premium, and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.828 that pushes payback to 22.5 years. Three-year repayment rate of 74.7% is the relative strong point (54/100 sub-score). Published tuition is $36,765, with net price after aid of $18,605 - meaningful institutional discount but still substantial. Four-year cost runs $74,420. The structural problem is that early-career earnings are $32,600 against $27,000 typical debt - graduates begin repayment in a tight spot. The single program reported in Scorecard is psychology, which shows $25,963 first-year earnings and an F grade. Only 614 students are enrolled, signaling a small institution under enrollment pressure. As of 2024-2025 Scorecard data, Bethany is a small private liberal arts college in rural West Virginia where tuition and local earnings produce a 22.5-year payback.
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 Score25/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period22.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Bethany College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $36,765/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $36,765/yr |
| Average net price | $18,605/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $74,420 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,512 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $32,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 22.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 46.8% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 614 |
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: $36,765/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $18,605/year, or roughly $74,420 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 $14,315/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,214/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($32,600) and comes to 0.83, 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 | $14,315 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $15,239 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $17,641 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,434 |
| $110,001+ | $27,214 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $14,315 per year, or roughly $57,000 over four years. With more than half of students Pell-eligible, this is the modal price point. Pell + federal Direct Loans cover most of it, but the 46.8% completion rate means many low-income borrowers leave with debt and no degree - the worst-case ROI scenario.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households in the $48,001-$75,000 range pay $17,641 annually, near the school-wide $18,605 average. Over four years that's $71,000 against $44,512 median ten-year earnings. The math is strained.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $27,214 per year, or about $109,000 over four years - close to full sticker after merit aid drops off.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Bethany College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | $25,963 | F |
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.
Psychology
Psychology is the only program with reported Scorecard data: 25 graduates with $25,963 first-year earnings against $27,000 median debt - a 1.040 debt-to-earnings ratio and F grade. Psychology majors at small privates typically need graduate school to convert the degree into real earnings; the bachelor's alone here produces a financial bind. Students entering should plan for graduate school as part of the financial picture, not an optional add-on.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 62.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 74.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 65.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 73.4% | 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 | 58.8% |
| Enrollment | 614 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 51.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,417 |
Bethany admits 58.8% of applicants - moderately selective on paper. No SAT or ACT mid-ranges are reported, suggesting test-optional or test-blind admissions. The 58.8% rate against a 46.8% completion rate signals that admissions selectivity doesn't translate into persistence: more than half of admitted students never finish. Prospective students should treat persistence support and self-motivation as the actual constraint.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany College (this school) | 25 | $18,605 | $44,512 |
| University of Charleston | 52 | $22,107 | $55,774 |
| Appalachian Bible College | 40 | $11,579 | $37,467 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
| Cambridge College | 21 | $31,072 | $45,998 |
Who Thrives Here
Bethany fits students who want a small (614 enrolled), close-knit rural Appalachian private experience. The 51.2% Pell rate indicates a high-need student body. The completion rate (46.8%) is the key concern: half of entering students don't finish. Students best positioned for success enter with strong college-prep records, family support, and a clear major plan.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Bethany College scores 25/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $18,605 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,512 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 22.5 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 to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 46.8% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $32,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83. 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 25/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $18,605 a year after aid against $44,512 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 22.5 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 $18,605 a year, or roughly $74,420 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 $44,512 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,712 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 22.5 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 $27,000, against average earnings of $32,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83. 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 46.8%. 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.