Bethel University
McKenzie, Tennessee · Private Nonprofit · 60.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 34/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Bethel University-Tennessee scores 34 (Below Benchmark) on the CampusROI scale. The institution combines a 60.2% admission rate with $18,712 in-state tuition, $12,595 net price, and a 35.1% completion rate. Average 6-year earnings of $37,800 grow to a median $47,482 by year ten, producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.721 against $27,249 median debt and a 15.3-year payback period. Net price below in-state tuition signals meaningful institutional aid, but the score is held back primarily by the 35% completion rate - nearly two of every three admitted students do not finish, which is the dominant signal for ROI here. The Tennessee labor market for the school's nursing and homeland-security tracks is strong; the much larger business-administration cohort (254 graduates per year) lands a D grade with debt-to-earnings of 0.823. The income brackets show multiple inversions: $30-48K families pay $17,356 while $48-75K families pay $11,713 and $0-30K families pay $11,871. ACT mid-range of 15-21 reflects an underprepared applicant pool relative to four-year-degree completion patterns.
How Bethel University 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 Score34/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate35.0% - 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 period15.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Bethel University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $18,712/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,712/yr |
| Average net price | $12,595/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $50,380 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $47,482 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $37,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,249 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $289 |
| Estimated payback period | 15.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 35.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,547 |
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: $18,712/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $12,595/year, or roughly $50,380 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 $11,871/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $15,163/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,249, which works out to about $289 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($37,800) 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 | $11,871 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,356 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $11,713 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $10,473 |
| $110,001+ | $15,163 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
The 0-30000 income bracket pays $11,871 per year at Bethel. Four-year total of roughly $47,484 is workable for low-income families, especially for students entering the nursing pipeline where year-one earnings of $71K produce rapid payback. The 31.7% Pell rate suggests the aid model is functional for low-income students who actually complete. Completion remains the primary risk factor.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 30001-48000 bracket pays $17,356, which is meaningfully MORE than the $0-30000 bracket pays and more than the $48001-75000 bracket pays at $11,713 - a sharp inversion likely driven by aid-formula step changes at specific income thresholds. The 48001-75000 bracket is the cheapest tier at Bethel. Middle-income families face uneven costs depending on which side of the FAFSA cliff they fall on, and the financial math works only when the student enters one of the strong-earnings programs (nursing, homeland security) and completes.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,000+ pay $15,163 per year - about $60,652 over four years - while the $75-110K bracket pays only $10,473, another inversion that suggests merit-aid stacking patterns for upper-middle-income families that does not extend to the highest tier. The 35% institutional completion rate is the risk that does not show up in the four-year cost number.
Earnings by Major
Top 5 most popular majors at Bethel University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $60,102 | D |
| Registered Nursing | $80,794 | B |
| Homeland Security | $79,079 | B |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $62,967 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $48,730 | D |
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 is Bethel's largest program by volume: 254 graduates per year, $49,106 year-one earnings, $60,102 at four years. Median debt of $40,408 (the highest of any program here) produces a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.823 - D grade. This is the dominant student outcome at Bethel and it is not a strong financial profile. Students entering this program should expect a 10-12 year payback at standard repayment, longer if borrowing escalates. The Tennessee regional business-employment market does not produce the earnings premium that justifies the debt level for graduates of this specific program.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is Bethel's strongest financial track: 85 graduates per year, $71,315 year-one earnings, $80,794 at four years, B grade ROI (debt-to-earnings 0.351, $25,000 median debt). The Tennessee nursing labor market absorbs Bethel graduates into Nashville-area health systems and regional hospitals. Year-one earnings above $70K with debt at $25K is a clean payback profile - under four years to break even. The clinical-licensure structure also limits dropout in the program's later years, which is meaningful given Bethel's institutional 35% completion.
Homeland Security
Homeland Security produces 65 graduates per year with $78,275 year-one earnings and $79,079 at four years, B grade (debt-to-earnings 0.408, $31,919 median debt). The career trajectory is unusually flat - year-one earnings barely grow by year four, suggesting graduates enter at near-peak rates in federal/state law-enforcement and security roles. Fast initial payback but limited career growth runway. Students should plan for the salary plateau.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice produces 65 graduates with $54,207 year-one earnings, $62,967 at four years, C grade (debt-to-earnings 0.576, $31,250 debt). The Tennessee corrections and law-enforcement labor market provides reasonable absorption but the financial profile is tighter than nursing or homeland security - debt is on the higher side for the earnings level.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology produces 57 graduates with $31,638 year-one earnings, $48,730 at four years, D grade (debt-to-earnings 0.938, $29,677 debt). Most kinesiology graduates here are pursuing graduate work (PT, OT, athletic training) where the bachelor's serves as a stepping-stone; for students stopping at the bachelor's, the financial math does not work.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 49.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 54.2% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 41.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 47.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Bethel University’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 | 60.2% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 420-550 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 410-570 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 15-21 |
| Enrollment | 1,547 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 31.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $3,147 |
At 60.2%, Bethel is moderately selective on paper, but the ACT mid-range of 15-21 (and SAT Math 420-550) reflects an underprepared academic pool. The 35.1% completion rate is the more honest signal of the school's ability to graduate admitted students - selectivity is not filtering for college-readiness in a way that translates to persistence. A student in the top half of the admitted-academic-profile range is much more likely to finish than the published rate suggests; a student at the bottom of the range is at meaningful dropout risk.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel University (this school) | 34 | $12,595 | $47,482 |
| Evangel University | 35 | $18,669 | $46,573 |
| Colorado Christian University | 34 | $29,500 | $50,416 |
| William Carey University | 34 | $14,258 | $43,087 |
| Lancaster Bible College | 34 | $25,480 | $44,096 |
| Mississippi College | 33 | $27,712 | $47,485 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment of 1,547 with 31.7% Pell - a small private Christian university serving a primarily Tennessee and adjacent-state student body. The school fits applicants targeting nursing (85 graduates per year, $71,315 first-year earnings, B grade) or homeland security ($78,275 first-year, B grade, 65 grads). Both produce defensible financial outcomes. Students entering business administration - the biggest cohort by far at 254 graduates - show a D-grade debt-to-earnings ratio (0.823) under our methodology on $40,408 median debt. Kinesiology students face debt-to-earnings of 0.938 (D grade). Major selection here matters more than school selection at this cost level.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Bethel University scores 34/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $12,595 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $47,482 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 15.3 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: its 35.0% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 54.2% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,249 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $37,800 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.
Bethel University: Common Questions
Is Bethel University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Bethel University scores 34/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $12,595 a year after aid against $47,482 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 15.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Bethel University 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 $12,595 a year, or roughly $50,380 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 Bethel University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $47,482 ten years after enrolling, roughly $5,682 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 Bethel University?
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 15.3 years for Bethel University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Bethel University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,249, against average earnings of $37,800 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 Bethel University?
The six-year graduation rate is 35.0%. 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.