-19%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at Bethel University fell 19% between 2021 and 2024 (2.3k → 1.9k).
Minnesota · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's
Bethel University
Saint Paul, Minnesota. 2,012 undergraduate students. 96 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Bethel University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Bethel University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (1.1% → 0.0%).
+10%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Bethel University rose 10% between 2021 and 2024 ($40.1k → $44.2k).
+10%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Bethel University rose 10% between 2021 and 2024 ($40.1k → $44.2k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Minnesota
Each tile compares this institution to the Minnesota median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$63,764+16% · 6→10y
Minnesota median $48,321$55,145
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry75.2%+2% · '97→'24
Minnesota median 54.7%$18,272+114% · '97→'20
At program completion2,012-16% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS87.1%+1% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time91.0%+8% · '01→'24
latest cohort$42,930+178% · '00→'24
out-of-state $42,930SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.8%Median federal debt $18,272 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $63,764 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+178%
Bethel University · in-state tuition rose
$15,900 → $44,226
+178%
Bethel University · out-of-state tuition rose
$15,900 → $44,226
+114%
Bethel University · median debt rose
$10,068 → $21,500
-75%
Bethel University · cohort default rate fell
1.5% → 0.0%
+50%
Bethel University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$42,600 → $63,764
+53%
Bethel University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$40,600 → $61,932
+43%
Bethel University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$38,600 → $55,145
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$128,692Business Administration, Management and Operations.$121,811Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$120,461Human Resources Management and Services.$95,044Human Resources Management and Services.$89,709Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$82,863Special Education and Teaching.$74,473Business Administration, Management and Operations.$72,831Biology, General.$68,538Education, General.$67,039Health and Physical Education/Fitness.$66,161Theological and Ministerial Studies.$58,684Communication and Media Studies.$56,649Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology.$52,490Social Sciences, General.$52,106Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries.$50,731Social Work.$50,324Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$48,651Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$47,172Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$46,750Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries.$44,268Psychology, General.$42,989
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
22 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
EDUCATION · CIP 13
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS · CIP 39
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$82,863Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$128,692Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$120,461Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$48,651
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Bethel University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$578,291
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 9
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $22,279
- HS-only baseline · MN
- $39,400
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 52
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Minnesota
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Bethel University graduates earn $X” — not “Bethel University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Bethel University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.