BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofitHBCU

Bethune-Cookman University

Daytona Beach, Florida·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·cookman.edu
6-yr Graduation
31%
-53.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
2,853
peer median 2,830
Avg net price
$14,892
-$15k vs Baccalaureate
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About

Bethune–Cookman University is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune–Cookman University is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The primary administration building, White Hall, and the Mary McLeod Bethune Home are historic venues.

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
10,994
10,994 candidates competed
Admitted
9,701
88.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,012
10.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
31%-53.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
16%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
31%
Full-time retention
62%

Pell equity

24.0pp gap
Pell recipients
27%
Non-Pell
51%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 24.0-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 49 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 40 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
49
Passing
7
14.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
4.1% of portfolio
Fail rate
4.1%
+3.5pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

49programs
  • Passing7 · 14.3%
  • No Data40 · 81.6%
  • Failing2 · 4.1%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
2
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
5
No data
40

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.

9
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
-5.0%
$30,852 vs $32,488
Human Resources Management and Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
-3.3%
$49,835 vs $51,545
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+4.4%
$33,933 vs $32,488
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+16.3%
$37,793 vs $32,488
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+29.7%
$42,127 vs $32,488
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+43.3%
$46,540 vs $32,488
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+55.2%
$50,413 vs $32,488
Gerontology
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+58.9%
$51,623 vs $32,488

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

3
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
-5.0%
$1,636
Human Resources Management and Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
-3.3%
$1,710
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+4.4%
+$1,445

Debt vs earnings

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

4
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
74%
$31,000 debt · $42,127 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
63%
$23,800 debt · $37,793 earn
Gerontology
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
56%
$29,000 debt · $51,623 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
46%
$15,645 debt · $33,933 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 1947Next review Jun 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 16

  1. Dec 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jul 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Council on Education for Public Health · Public Health Programs (PHPG) - Graduate level program offered outside a school of public health
  3. Jun 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jan 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Council on Education for Public Health · Public Health Programs (PHPG) - Graduate level program offered outside a school of public health
  5. Jan 2025Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Council on Education for Public Health · Public Health Programs (PHPG) - Graduate level program offered outside a school of public health

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$13,728
$30–48k$14,194
$48–75k$16,399
$75–110k$19,105
$110k+$20,662

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

Avg net price (private)
$14,892
-$15,091vs Baccalaureate median $29,983
Federal loans
79.2%
In-state tuition
$14,794
Out-of-state
$14,794

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 2,456 students received $16.1M in Pell grants, alongside $20.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,456
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$16.1M
$16,090,079 total
Direct Loans
$20.7M
4,807 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

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

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$8.5M
2,180 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$6.1M
2,083 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$1.5M
85 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.5M
451 loan awards
Grad PLUS$93K
8 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 1,381 borrowers who entered repayment, 152 (11.0%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
11.0%
+8.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,381
Defaulted
152
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
13.0%
2017
26.6%
2018
23.6%
2019
11.0%
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 Bethune-Cookman

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs42
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

300 total completions
01Liberal Arts
6421.3%
02Business
6020.0%
03Psychology
4816.0%
04Security/Protective
3010.0%
05Parks/Recreation
299.7%
06Communication
299.7%
07Biological Sciences
134.3%
08Social Sciences
93.0%
09Health Professions
93.0%
10Education
93.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,853
12-mo unduplicated
2,752
Undergraduate
2,631
Graduate
121

Gender split

Men
38%1,032
Women
63%1,720

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
58.1%
Unknown
34.3%
Hispanic
3.3%
Non-resident
1.9%
Two or more
1.6%
White
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Asian
0.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
340
238 M · 102 W
Women athletes
30.0%
Athletic aid
$3.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$13.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.0M
$994K
Recruiting expense
$172K
$78K
Head-coach salaries
$127K
$67K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Football
127 M ·
$4.7M
Track and Field (Outdoor)
37 M · 23 W
$211K
Track and Field (Indoor)
36 M · 23 W
$431K
Baseball
48 M ·
$966K
Basketball
18 M · 14 W
$2.3M
Softball
· 22 W
$884K

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
3.30
9 offenses · 2,727 students

3-year trend

3.872 yrs ago2.291 yr ago3.30Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
26
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
18
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
3
Rape
2
Motor vehicle theft
2
Robbery
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

9total
  • On campus9

Includes 7 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
2
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons33
Drugs118
Liquor00

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
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
148

Bethune-Cookman vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Bethune-Cookman 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
SubjectBethune-Cookman University
31%2,853$14,892Baccalaureate
Augustana College
73%62.7%2,570$12,437Baccalaureate
Bard College
68%52.1%2,911$31,771Baccalaureate
Barnard College
93%8.8%3,487$39,253Baccalaureate
Bucknell University
86%28.9%3,969$40,429Baccalaureate
Colby College
89%7.1%2,412$23,939Baccalaureate
Colgate University
91%13.9%3,211$29,107Baccalaureate
College of the Holy Cross
87%17.6%3,126$36,868Baccalaureate
Colorado College
88%18.5%2,056$31,678Baccalaureate
Denison University
79%17.4%2,394$38,111Baccalaureate
Furman University
79%42.9%2,554$29,997Baccalaureate
Gettysburg College
83%38.9%2,812$30,086Baccalaureate
Hope College
80%79.2%3,395$25,749Baccalaureate
Lafayette College
88%31.4%2,775$32,496Baccalaureate
Lewis & Clark College
75%78.5%3,504$36,084Baccalaureate
Middlebury College
91%10.7%2,803$25,934Baccalaureate
Morehouse College
59%44.0%2,847$35,949Baccalaureate
Mount Holyoke College
84%36.0%2,275$29,562Baccalaureate
Oberlin College
81%34.2%2,909$39,184Baccalaureate
Skidmore College
83%21.1%2,704$34,581Baccalaureate
Smith College
89%21.0%2,857$26,181Baccalaureate
Spelman College
78%24.9%3,417$36,828Baccalaureate
St Olaf College
84%48.3%3,124$22,752Baccalaureate
Stonehill College
76%66.3%2,674$29,969Baccalaureate
Susquehanna University
82%81.4%2,255$26,539Baccalaureate
Trinity University
84%25.9%2,687$23,650Baccalaureate
University of Richmond
85%22.2%3,722$33,417Baccalaureate
Vassar College
91%18.6%2,462$38,182Baccalaureate
Wellesley College
92%14.0%2,407$25,008Baccalaureate
Wesleyan University
93%16.5%4,011$27,888Baccalaureate
Wheaton College
85%87.4%2,874$26,984Baccalaureate
Williams College
94%8.3%2,164$14,852Baccalaureate
Peer group median84%25.9%2,830$29,983

Bethune-Cookman Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Institutional Effectiveness
Phone
(386) 481-2000
Address
640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, Daytona Beach, FL 32114

The mission of Institutional Effectiveness is to build capacity for a culture of evidence and continuous improvement. We support the University's mission, core values and pursuit of academic and operational excellence through the collection, analysis and reporting of data that informs the strategic planning process, promotes effective allocation of resources, engages faculty and staff in the continuous improvement of the Institution’s programs and services, and provides accountability to stakeholders.

Visit IR office page
Team
4 members
  • Dr. Narendra Patel
    Senior Advisor to the President for Accreditation, Quality Control, Compliance and Institutional Effectiveness
  • Mrs. Sajida S. Barmeda
    Director of Institutional Research and Analysis
  • Mrs. Jennifer Dash
    Director of Institutional Assessment and Evaluation
  • Mr. Dorian L. Hooks
    Institutional Assessments Program Coordinator

Common Data Set (1)

The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.

Reports & documents (3)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Bethune-Cookman (21)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Marjorie Joyner
    Business
  • Matthew J. Gillespie
    Community service and civil rights
  • Henry Lyons
    Community service and civil rights
  • Harry T. Moore
    Community service and civil rights
  • Lucille O'Neal
    Community service and civil rights
  • Oswald P. Bronson, Sr.
    Education
  • Gregory Drane
    Education
  • Allen & Allen
    Entertainment
  • Rodney Chester
    Entertainment
  • Jimmy "Bo" Horne
    Entertainment
  • Nakera Simms-Symonette
    Modeling
  • James Bush III
    Politics
Showing 112 of 21
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about Bethune-Cookman University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Bethune-Cookman.

What is the graduation rate at Bethune-Cookman University?

Bethune-Cookman University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 31% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Bethune-Cookman University?

Bethune-Cookman University reports a total enrollment of 2,853 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Bethune-Cookman University?

The average net price at Bethune-Cookman University is $14,892 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Bethune-Cookman University?

Bethune-Cookman University's yield rate is 10.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Bethune-Cookman University located?

Bethune-Cookman University is located in Daytona Beach, Florida 32114-3099.

Who runs Institutional Research at Bethune-Cookman University?

Bethune-Cookman University's IR work is done by the Institutional Effectiveness.

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