Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Bethel University

Mishawaka, IN · 11 field-and-degree records

Earnings reported for 11 · Federal debt reported for 9

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$176,560 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

32.7 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−69%Estimated return after 10 years
$52,788Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question

What do you want to understand?

ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$176,560at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$254,4400
2
4
6
8
−$176,56010
Years after graduationBreak-even: 32.7 years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$34,600
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$34,600
Sticker price
Average net price$18,610
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$43,885
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25

What makes up the annual price?

Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.

Tuition and required fees$34,600Same reported price regardless of residency
Books and supplies$1,230Estimated academic-year allowance
On-campus housing and food$11,140$1,980 in other expenses reported separately
Estimated on-campus total$48,950Sum of available published components, before aid

Living off campus: $9,540 housing and food allowance plus $8,330 in other expenses.

Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$52,788 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is this college’s institution-wide average net price, not your personal aid offer. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24

Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.

IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.

Fully online27%
371 students
Some online courses38%
535 students
No online courses35%
486 students
Undergraduates age 25+13%
Share of undergraduate enrollment

Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.

College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Main award level
Bachelor’s degrees
Campus setting
City
Admissions
Selective admission
Delivery
Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation
No special designation reported
Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024

28 high-school students took college courses.

IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.

This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.

STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024

Prices in Indiana run 7% below the U.S. level.

BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.

Overall7% below U.S.
Goods4% below U.S.
Housing26% below U.S.
Utilities14% below U.S.
Other services1% below U.S.

Use this as geographic context, not a personal budget. It describes the state, not the campus neighborhood, and does not measure tuition or student-specific housing.

DegreeVerdict does not adjust reported earnings, college prices or ROI using this index.

Download the official BEA source →
THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE VERDICT

What it costs and what graduates earn

$18,610Average net price / year
$43,885Cost of attendance
$25,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$265/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$52,788Median earnings · year 5 after completion
53.2%Completion rate
97.7%Admission rate
1,014Average SAT score
1,008Student size

Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

What the numbers say about Bethel University

What does Bethel University cost?

Bethel University reports an average annual net price of $18,610 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.

What do Bethel University graduates earn?

The observed median earnings figure is $52,788 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.

How much federal debt do Bethel University graduates have?

Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $25,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.

Is every degree at Bethel University worth the same?

No. The current release contains 11 field-and-degree records for Bethel University; 11 report year-4 earnings and 9 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.

DEBT AFTER COLLEGE

Are borrowers making progress?

Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.

1 year56%Paid down at least $1 of principal
3 years63%Paid down at least $1 of principal
5 years69%Paid down at least $1 of principal
7 years75%Paid down at least $1 of principal
Students who completed$25,000Median federal debt · 428 borrowers
Students who withdrew$10,213Median federal debt · 371 borrowers
Three-year cohort default rate0%Federal cohort measure, not the share currently behind on payments

Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.

2024–25 ENROLLMENT

Who studied here during the year

1,340Students enrolled at any point
1,185Undergraduate students
155Graduate students

Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.

More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$17,580
$30–48k$12,572
$48–75k$12,673
$75–110k$18,645
$110k+$25,871
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$52,788
Year 6$44,271
Year 10$48,860
Full-time retention
72.4%
Part-time retention
25.0%
Completion within 200% of normal time
56.6%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS

Outcomes are not the same for every family.

These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.

Pell Grant students45%

Complete within 150% of the expected time

58% received a Pell Grant within eight years
Parent borrowing$14,900

Median Parent PLUS debt

127 parent borrowers in the reported cohort
First-generation students$19,500

Median federal student debt

55% making progress in repayment after three years
Student family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$45,500Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$51,228Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$56,442Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income46%
Middle income69%
Higher income82%
Undergraduate student composition
White66%
Black6%
Hispanic12%
Asian1%

Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

68thEarnings percentile
42thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$53,152Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$27,000Median federal debt across categories that report debt
27%Of comparable categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS OVER TIME

What graduates earned in later years

$43,523Year 1
$53,289Year 4
$52,788Year 5

Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.

DEGREES AT THIS COLLEGE

Your choice of degree can change the payoff.

Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.

1Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$78,4132Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$73,3843Business/Commerce, General · Bachelor's Degree$68,6894Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's Degree$58,7315Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · Bachelor's Degree$53,1866Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General · Bachelor's Degree$53,1527Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · Bachelor's Degree$48,2438Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Bachelor's Degree$45,366

Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges

Strongest relative outcomes

Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark

This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.

1Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $53,152 reported+5%vs same-degree national median$46,989federal debt2Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's Degree · $53,186 reported+3%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $68,689 reported+0%vs same-degree national median$37,189federal debt4Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree · $45,222 reported-5%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt5Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree · $48,243 reported-12%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt6Pastoral Counseling and Specialized MinistriesBachelor's Degree · $37,149 reported-13%vs same-degree national median$23,319federal debt
BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in IN

Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.

North Manchester, IN

Manchester University

Annual net price
$18,805
Observed earnings · year 5
$52,291
Modeled 10-year ROI
-71%
Open college profile →
Evansville, IN

University of Evansville

Annual net price
$18,499
Observed earnings · year 5
$53,612
Modeled 10-year ROI
-66%
Open college profile →
Fort Wayne, IN

Indiana Institute of Technology-College of Professional Studies

Annual net price
$20,473
Observed earnings · year 5
$55,180
Modeled 10-year ROI
-61%
Open college profile →
Franklin, IN

Franklin College

Annual net price
$22,855
Observed earnings · year 5
$53,315
Modeled 10-year ROI
-69%
Open college profile →
DEGREE OUTCOMES

Compare fields and degree levels

Showing all 11 field-and-degree records in the current release.

Major or fieldDegree levelEarnings, year 4Federal debt2024–25 graduates
Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree$78,413Not availableNot reported
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree$73,384$28,500Not reported
Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree$68,689$37,189Not reported
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree$58,731$27,000Not reported
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's Degree$53,186Not availableNot reported
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, GeneralBachelor's Degree$53,152$46,989Not reported
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree$48,243$27,000Not reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree$45,366$25,000Not reported
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree$45,222$27,000Not reported
Human Services, GeneralBachelor's Degree$38,515$44,418Not reported
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized MinistriesBachelor's Degree$37,149$23,319Not reported

Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.