Bethel University is a private not-for-profit institution in McKenzie, Tennessee enrolling 1,547 undergraduates. It accepts 60% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 35%, near the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,452 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 48%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Bethel University ranks #2,452 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 48%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Bethel University was awarded 1 badge in the 2027 rankings.
Bethel is ranked #2,452 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list.
Within the state, Bethel holds the #50 spot on the Best Colleges in Tennessee ranking.
See all of the rankings for Bethel University.
Bethel University has an acceptance rate of 60%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for Bethel.
About 11% of students accepted to Bethel submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 410 and 570. Math scores were between 420 and 550.
Bethel received ACT scores from 88% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 15 and 21.
Learn more about Bethel University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Bethel University is about average at 15 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Bethel University is 100%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At Bethel University this rate is 54%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
When it comes to finishing their studies on time, those seeking a bachelor’s degree from Bethel have a four-year graduation rate of 35%. This is comparable to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Bethel University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 1,547 undergraduates at Bethel.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Bethel University.
The average net price of Bethel is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $11,871 | $17,356 | $11,713 | $10,473 | $15,163 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Bethel, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Bethel, approximately 38% of students took out student loans averaging $6,989 a year. That adds up to $27,956 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 6.9%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Bethel University.
Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Bethel University make around $47,482 per year during the early years of their employment. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Bethel University make the most money.
Bethel University is a private not-for-profit institution situated in McKenzie, Tennessee. McKenzie is a great place for students who enjoy small town life. Get more details about the location of Bethel University.
Get in touch with Bethel University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 325 Cherry Ave, McKenzie, TN 38201 |
| Phone: | 7313524000 |
| Website: | www.bethelu.edu/ |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/bethelu |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/betheluniv |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 17 majors graduated from Bethel University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 556 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 162 | $46,354 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 131 | $47,876 |
| Business & Commerce | 58 | $56,064 |
| Allied Health Professions | 48 | $100,972 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 23 | NA |
| Health & Physical Education | 21 | NA |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 19 | NA |
| Homeland Security | 13 | NA |
| General Psychology | 12 | NA |
1,749 students took at least one online class at Bethel University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Bethel University.
Curious how schools stack up against Bethel? Match them up using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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