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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Bethel University (MN) Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated September 27, 2026

[Overview](/school/bethel-university-mn/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/bethel-university-mn/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/bethel-university-mn/admissions/)[Majors](/school/bethel-university-mn/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/bethel-university-mn/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Bethel University (MN) cost after financial aid?

Bethel University has a published cost of attendance of $58,569 before aid, including $44,226 in tuition and fees and $12,170 for room and board. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $28,556, and average aid savings against the published price are $30,013.

That average is $6,209 above the peer median of $22,347 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places Bethel University in the 28th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid reduces the published charge substantially, though the remaining average cost sits above the comparable-school midpoint.

The published cost of attendance at Bethel University is $58,569, but aid covers about 51% of that for the average recipient. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $28,556, which is $6,209 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $22,347.

By income band, average net prices run from $22,218 in the lowest band to $33,155 in the highest, a spread of $10,937. Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $21,500 in federal student loans, $3,500 below the peer median of $25,000.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) follows an uneven income pattern, with the middle band carrying the lowest listed amount. From the lowest through the highest income bands, the respective average net prices are $22,218, $22,279, $20,071, $24,963, and $33,155.

18.5% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, which provides financial-access context for the lowest band. Across the lowest and highest bands, the difference between those averages is $10,937.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$22,218

**$30–48K**
$22,279

**$48–75K**
$20,071

**$75–110K**
$24,963

**$110K+**
$33,155

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$28,556**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The average aid recipient pays far less than the published charge, but the size of that reduction varies by family-income band. Against the $58,569 sticker total, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $28,556, a reduction of $30,013.

Aid covers about 51% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The lowest average net price appears in the middle income band at $20,071, while the highest income band averages $33,155.

The other bands fall between those amounts, rather than following a steady progression by income. This pricing pattern shows aid is more concentrated outside the highest income band, while still leaving substantial average costs after grants and scholarships.

The published cost of attendance at Bethel University is $58,569, and average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s vary across family-income bands for aid recipients. Families in the lowest-income band average $22,218; the lower-middle band averages $22,279, the middle band $20,071, the upper-middle band $24,963, and the highest-income band $33,155.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,937. Azimuth ranks the university #1,014 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid offsets $30,013 from the sticker price and covers about 51% of the published cost. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $28,556, which is $6,209 above the peer median of $22,347 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published tuition and fees are $44,226, with room and board listed at $12,170. The above-peer average net price remains an important part of the cost picture despite the aid offset.

Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,500. That is $3,500 below the $25,000 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), and 93.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $24,157.

Use the [Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) for personalized scenarios including Parent PLUS.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing reaches 93.4% of federal aid recipients at Bethel University, making the debt figures relevant for many borrowers. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,500.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000, leaving the university’s median $3,500 below that benchmark. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $24,157.

The borrower share is high even though the median federal debt sits below the peer figure.

At Bethel University, the return picture is built on earnings that outpace both the model's expectations and the peer median. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $70,633, at the 77th percentile nationally.

That is $14,718 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $5,051 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 71st percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, stretch from $48,910 in a downside case to $90,160 in an upside case, with $70,633 as the typical scenario. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,500 in federal loans, $3,500 below the $25,000 peer median.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month. Earnings above the peer median and debt below it point the same way for the investment picture.

Parent borrowing adds a separate federal cost: among [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) parent borrowers, median borrowing is $24,157. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years; the [Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) offers personalized family cost analysis.

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$21,500

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$244/mo

Student and parent loans are separate debts. Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $70,633, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.1%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8%**▲**
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$24,157

**Estimated parent payment**
$307/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$21,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$24,157

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$244/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$307/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$551/mo

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $70,633, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.1%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8%**▲**
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

## Data & methodology

A missing figure does not mean zero. Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.