Bethany Lutheran College
Mankato, Minnesota · Private Nonprofit · 39.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 35/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Bethany Lutheran College, a small private-nonprofit in Mankato, Minnesota, scores 35 overall and lands in the Below Benchmark tier. The numbers split sharply: repayment rate is excellent at 84.9% (sub-score 85), and completion is moderate at 54.9% - but earnings are weak. Earnings of $31,100 at six years and $46,110 at ten years against $23,000 median debt produce a 0.74 debt-to-earnings ratio and a 19.9-year payback period. Sticker tuition is $31,360, with net price $20,148 and four-year total cost just over $80,000. The Pell rate of 22.5% indicates a mostly middle-income student body. Enrollment of 669 reflects a small-college environment with limited program breadth. The contradiction here is informative: strong repayment behavior suggests graduates are responsible borrowers servicing loans on modest incomes, but the underlying earnings ceiling caps the financial value. The college's Lutheran liberal-arts mission is the real product - the ROI math is a secondary consideration that does not work cleanly.
How Bethany Lutheran 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 Score35/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period19.9 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Bethany Lutheran College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $31,360/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $31,360/yr |
| Average net price | $20,148/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $80,592 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,110 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $244 |
| Estimated payback period | 19.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 54.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 669 |
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: $31,360/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $20,148/year, or roughly $80,592 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 $12,571/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $24,961/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,000, which works out to about $244 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,100) and comes to 0.74, 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 | $12,571 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,564 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $17,233 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,099 |
| $110,001+ | $24,961 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $12,571 net. Four-year cost is around $50,300, against $46,110 in 10-year earnings. The aid model materially helps low-income families, but the underlying earnings ceiling still puts four-year cost slightly above 10-year median earnings. The math is tight even at the best-priced bracket.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $17,233 net, four-year cost roughly $69,000. The brackets march cleanly upward (no inversions), suggesting consistent need-based aid policy. But four-year cost now exceeds 10-year median earnings by ~$23K.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $20,099, and $110,000+ pays $24,961 - still below the $31,360 sticker, signaling modest merit discounting persists at higher incomes. Four-year cost at the top tier is roughly $99,800. For high-income families this is a values-driven decision - the financial math is upside-down relative to graduate earnings.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Bethany Lutheran College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $53,811 | C |
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 Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration is the only program with full reported data: 26 graduates earning $44,462 in year one and $53,811 by year four, against $26,000 median debt for a 0.585 ratio (C grade). Solid first-year earnings for a small-college business program reflect Mankato-area employer demand (insurance, agribusiness, retail). The 4-year growth is modest, signaling steady but not high-growth career paths. The most defensible major at the institution from a financial standpoint.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 79.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 84.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 82.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 84.0% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Bethany Lutheran 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 | 39.0% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 490-600 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 550-580 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 21-26 |
| Enrollment | 669 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 22.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,253 |
Bethany Lutheran admits 39% of applicants. SAT mid-ranges (Math 490-600, Reading 550-580) and ACT 21-26 reflect a college-ready student body well above national medians for liberal-arts schools at this scale. The 54.9% completion rate is moderate. The selectivity-completion mismatch suggests financial constraints (rather than academic preparation) are likely driving non-completion.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany Lutheran College (this school) | 35 | $20,148 | $46,110 |
| Bethel University | 71 | $28,556 | $63,764 |
| Augsburg University | 53 | $23,873 | $58,829 |
| Parker University | 39 | $29,135 | $42,091 |
| Peirce College | 38 | $12,148 | $50,660 |
| Mount Marty University | 34 | $22,227 | $48,179 |
Who Thrives Here
Bethany Lutheran fits Minnesota students drawn to a 669-student Lutheran liberal-arts environment, especially future business professionals, teachers, ministers, and music educators. Pell rate of 22.5% indicates a mostly middle-class student body. Earnings outcomes are modest - this is not a financial-return institution. The strongest fit is for students with clear faith-and-vocation alignment who value small-college mentorship and Lutheran identity over earnings maximization.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Bethany Lutheran College scores 35/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,148 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,110 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 19.9 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, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. 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 Lutheran College: Common Questions
Is Bethany Lutheran College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Bethany Lutheran College scores 35/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,148 a year after aid against $46,110 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 19.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Bethany Lutheran 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 $20,148 a year, or roughly $80,592 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 Lutheran College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,110 ten years after enrolling, roughly $4,310 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 Lutheran 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 19.9 years for Bethany Lutheran College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Bethany Lutheran College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,000, against average earnings of $31,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. 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 Lutheran College?
The six-year graduation rate is 54.9%. 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.