Bethel University
McKenzie, Tennessee · Also known as Bethel · Website
$47,482
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$47,482
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Bethel University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in McKenzie, Tennessee with 1,547 undergraduates and 262 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $12,595 a year (tuition and fees $18,712). It admits 60% of applicants and 35% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $47,482 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $27,249 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$12,595
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$18,712
US median $11,837
Admission rate
60%
US median 78%
Completion rate
35%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,249
About $289 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$47,482
Rank 1,712 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $12,595
- Tuition and fees
- $18,712
- Cost of attendance
- $31,203
- Students with a need-based grant
- 32%
- Students with federal loans
- 38%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $11,871
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $17,356
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $11,713
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $10,473
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $15,163
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $15,714 in 2015-16 to $18,712 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 60%
- Average SAT
- 972
- SAT reading, middle
- 495
- SAT math, middle
- 497
- ACT, middle
- 18
- Undergraduates
- 1,547
- Graduate students
- 262
- Part-time students
- 5.2%
- Women
- 44%
- Students per teacher
- 15
- Completion rate
- 35%
- Retention rate
- 54%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 49
- Endowment
- $12.3M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,712 of 5,094 US colleges and 30 of 120 in Tennessee (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $12,595 | $15,261 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $18,712 | $15,120 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 60% | 70% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 35% | 60% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 54% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,249 | $15,784 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $38,990 | $34,684 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $47,482 | $38,610 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 34% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 63% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
49 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 254 | $31,866 | $49,106 | $60,102 | $68,257 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 147 | $148,345 | $109,728 | $135,391 | $127,347 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 117 | $20,500 | Withheld | Withheld | $49,927 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 92 | $17,250 | Withheld | $57,864 | $46,706 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 85 | $22,500 | $71,315 | $80,794 | $88,910 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 67 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 65 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,125 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 65 | $28,908 | $54,207 | $62,967 | $55,378 |
| Homeland SecurityOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 65 | $28,709 | $78,275 | $79,079 | $70,193 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $26,730 | $31,638 | $48,730 | $54,562 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsMaster's | Master's | 56 | $41,000 | $54,676 | $59,965 | $66,714 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,389 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,842 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,733 |
| Human Services, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,597 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,657 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,775 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,693 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,390 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of McKenzie and Tennessee on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Tennessee
- Homes: Homes for sale in Tennessee
Questions and answers
How much does Bethel University cost?
$12,595 a year is the average net price at Bethel University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $18,712, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $31,203. Families earning under $30,000 pay $11,871 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Bethel University?
60% of applicants are admitted to Bethel University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 972 and the middle ACT score is 18. The median admission rate of colleges in Tennessee is 70%.
How much do Bethel University graduates earn?
$47,482 a year is the median pay of former Bethel University students who work, 10 years after they started ($38,990 after 6 years). That ranks 1,712 of 5,094 US colleges and 30 of 120 in Tennessee. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's) at $109,728.
How much student debt do Bethel University graduates have?
$27,249 is the median federal student loan debt of Bethel University graduates, about $289 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 38% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Bethel University?
35% of first-time, full-time students at Bethel University finish within 6 years. 54% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Bethel University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (254 bachelor's graduates), Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (147 master's graduates), Business/Commerce, General (117 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 49 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.