Bethel University
McKenzie, TN · Private · Town (distant) · Bethel
Private institution in McKenzie, TN · 1,671 undergraduates · 97% acceptance rate · $47,482 median earnings 10 years after entry.
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $21,8031,251st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $18,1681,059th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $18,168731st cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $32,2701,010th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $27,2491,769th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $47,4821,220th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $38,9901,289th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 34.9%1,641st highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 59.1%1,621st highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 97.2%1,466th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1035874th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 18912th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,6711,044th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,581st smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 31.1%1,119th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 103 mi (BNA)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 34 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $61,814 | — |
| Homeland SecurityHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $59,485 | $57,318 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBusiness | bachelors | $57,318 | $61,516 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $47,260 | $50,022 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $42,884 | $39,950 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media ManagementVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/TechniciansCommunications Technology | bachelors | — | — |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyPsychology | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Religious affiliation: Cumberland Presbyteriansource
- Founded in 1842source
- Athletic nickname: "Wildcats"source
- School colors: #2E1846 and #F3C300source
- Mascot: Rowdy the Wildcatsource
- Formerly known as "Bethel Seminary" (1842–1847)source
- Formerly known as "Bethel College" (1847–2009)source
- Athletic conference: NAIAsource
Athletics — 10 sports
NAIA Division I · NAIA
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $6,004,434 (M $3,803,847 · W $2,200,587)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Bethel University’s 1,671 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In TN
- Trevecca Nazarene UniversityNashville, TN · 1,697 undergrads
- Union UniversityJackson, TN · 1,637 undergrads
- The University of the SouthSewanee, TN · 1,598 undergrads
- SAE Institute of Technology-NashvilleNashville, TN · 1,800 undergrads
- Lincoln Memorial UniversityHarrogate, TN · 1,487 undergrads
- Rhodes CollegeMemphis, TN · 1,931 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Texas Wesleyan UniversityFort Worth, TX · 1,671 undergrads
- Lebanon Valley CollegeAnnville, PA · 1,670 undergrads
- Assumption UniversityWorcester, MA · 1,664 undergrads
- Inter American University of Puerto Rico-GuayamaGuayama, PR · 1,661 undergrads
- Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MN · 1,685 undergrads
- Western Colorado UniversityGunnison, CO · 1,653 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitebethelu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 219718)
- Compare colleges in TNRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in TennesseeEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Trevecca Nazarene UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Bethel University vs Trevecca Nazarene UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 10 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.