Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Bethel University

McKenzie, Tennessee·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·bethelu.edu
6-yr Graduation
35%
-15.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
2,936
peer median 3,645
Avg net price
$21,803
-$853 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
1,486
1,486 candidates competed
Admitted
895
60.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
288
32.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
35%-15.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
14%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
17%
Full-time retention
54%

Pell equity

30.0pp gap
Pell recipients
14%
Non-Pell
44%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 30.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 56 Title IV programs, 10 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 46 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
56
Passing
10
17.9% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

56programs
  • Passing10 · 17.9%
  • No Data46 · 82.1%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
9
No data
46

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

10
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
+18.9%
$59,965 vs $50,451
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+35.4%
$58,122 vs $42,937
Business/Commerce General
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+36.0%
$70,110 vs $51,545
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+47.7%
$48,730 vs $32,989
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+75.4%
$57,864 vs $32,989
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+82.2%
$60,102 vs $32,989
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+90.9%
$62,967 vs $32,989
Homeland Security
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+139.7%
$79,079 vs $32,989

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

10
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
105%
$141,788 debt · $135,391 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
68%
$41,000 debt · $59,965 earn
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
66%
$38,571 debt · $58,122 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
59%
$35,481 debt · $60,102 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
59%
$28,713 debt · $48,730 earn
Business/Commerce General
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
59%
$41,000 debt · $70,110 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
47%
$29,688 debt · $62,967 earn
Homeland Security
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
38%
$30,108 debt · $79,079 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1952Next review Jun 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 13

  1. Sep 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  2. Jun 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jun 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jun 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Apr 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$22,495
$30–48k$21,013
$48–75k$21,838
$75–110k$21,825
$110k+$19,450

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$21,803
-$852vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $22,656
Federal loans
38.6%
In-state tuition
$18,168
Out-of-state
$18,168

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 946 students received $5.1M in Pell grants, alongside $15.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
946
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.1M
$5,095,545 total
Direct Loans
$15.3M
2,308 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.0M
882 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.2M
896 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.1M
315 loan awards
Parent PLUS$880K
90 loan awards
Grad PLUS$3.1M
125 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 2,050 borrowers who entered repayment, 72 (3.5%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.5%
+1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,050
Defaulted
72
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
11.2%
2017
11.5%
2018
9.8%
2019
3.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Bethel

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs47
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

594 total completions
01Business
22237.4%
02Security/Protective
18030.3%
03Health Professions
7813.1%
04Education
345.7%
05Liberal Arts
305.1%
06Parks/Recreation
244.0%
07Psychology
142.4%
08Visual/Performing Arts
50.8%
09Public Admin
40.7%
10Biological Sciences
30.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
2,936
12-mo unduplicated
4,547
Undergraduate
4,177
Graduate
370

Gender split

Men
43%1,962
Women
57%2,585

Race / ethnicity composition

White
50.2%
Black
30.0%
Non-resident
5.5%
Hispanic
5.2%
Two or more
4.2%
Unknown
3.8%
Asian
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
349
223 M · 126 W
Women athletes
36.1%
Athletic aid
$7.6M
Total student aid
Budget
$11.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.4M
$2.2M
Recruiting expense
$8K
$4K
Head-coach salaries
$35K
$28K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Football
97 M ·
$3.0M
Soccer
23 M · 30 W
$1.8M
Basketball
16 M · 18 W
$1.1M
Track and Field (Outdoor)
19 M · 9 W
$785K
Baseball
27 M ·
$1.0M
Cross Country
12 M · 9 W
$446K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.05
19 offenses · 4,686 students

3-year trend

2.002 yrs ago4.991 yr ago4.05Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
47
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
33
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
9
Rape
4
Aggravated assault
3
Burglary
2
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

19total
  • On campus14
  • Public property5

Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
6
Dating violence
6
Stalking
12 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons11
Drugs417
Liquor118

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
15.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
154

Bethel vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Bethel selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBethel University
35%2,936$21,803Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
King University
49%99.7%1,157$23,508Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Anderson University
66%54.7%4,710$28,183Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Lynn University
52%73.5%3,514$38,222Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Lindsey Wilson College
43%4,193$13,811Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Stetson University
62%71.6%3,775$21,318Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median51%72.5%3,645$22,656

Frequently asked questions about Bethel University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Bethel.

What is the graduation rate at Bethel University?

Bethel University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 35% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Bethel University?

Bethel University reports a total enrollment of 2,936 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Bethel University?

The average net price at Bethel University is $21,803 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Bethel University?

Bethel University's yield rate is 32.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Bethel University located?

Bethel University is located in McKenzie, Tennessee 38201.

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