College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Bethune-Cookman University

FLMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #767 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Overall, Azimuth places the university in the 48th percentile nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

Bethune-Cookman University is a private nonprofit university in Daytona Beach, Florida, where Psychology and Business lead the degree mix. Access is among the highest we track, and the majority of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes an adding share to what it cannot explain and a subtracting share to the factors it measures.

Return is below the levels seen at many peers. Pell students finish within a few points above the entering cohort as a whole.

What families in the lowest income band pay after aid is below the published cost. Affordability is around the average.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the highest-earning field, Nursing, awards far fewer degrees than the most popular ones.

Bethune-Cookman University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
88.2%
Six-year completion[2]
30.5%
Four-year earnings[3]
$46,007

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$14,346
Median student debt[4]
$31,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$29,770

Bethune-Cookman University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Bethune-Cookman University is a private nonprofit university in Daytona Beach, Florida, enrolling 2,732 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the middle of the Azimuth ranking, but the that make up that rank tell a more divided story.

The university admits 88.2% of applicants, a rate above the 71.2% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Among those who start full time, 61.8% return for a second year, against a median of 83.4% for comparable institutions.

30.5% finish within six years, against a median of 68.8%. An estimated 9.3% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students.

The four pillars sit far apart. Access is the strongest (96th percentile), while return is the weakest (12th percentile).

Affordability sits near the middle of the field, and mobility is close to the bottom. The shape is a private university where financial access is the headline, but completion and earnings outcomes lag.

Bethune-Cookman University is strongest on access, but its return measures are the weakest part of its Azimuth profile. Azimuth places access in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, with affordability in the 54th percentile and mobility in the 13th percentile.

Return is in the 12th percentile nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Strong access and middle-range affordability sit alongside much lower mobility and return readings.

78.3% of undergraduates at Bethune-Cookman University receive Pell Grants. The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 830 and 990.

Azimuth ranks the university #62 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at a rate of 33.5%, which is 3.0 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate.

Azimuth ranks Bethune-Cookman University #1,277 for mobility. Graduates earn about $2,099 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Bethune-Cookman University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#767

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 13
Access & reach
National percentile: 96
Affordability
National percentile: 54
Return on investment
National percentile: 12

01 / Bethune-Cookman University briefing

Bethune-Cookman University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Bethune-Cookman University is $29,764 for a standard budget. That total includes tuition and fees of $14,794 and room and board of $10,396.

For the average aid recipient here, the average net price is $12,030. That is $15,341 below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the sticker price by $17,734 on average, and aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Azimuth ranks the university #655 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 54th percentile.

The published cost of attendance at Bethune-Cookman University is $29,764, so aid makes a large difference to the price families face. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,896 for the lowest family-income band, $11,487 for the lower-middle band, $14,346 for the middle band, $17,882 for the upper-middle band, and $18,654 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,758. Azimuth ranks the university #655 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $17,734. Across aid recipients, the is $12,030, alongside published tuition and fees of $14,794 and room and board of $10,396.

That average net price is $15,341 below the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size). The aid offset and lower peer price point in the same direction.

For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $31,000, and 92.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt is $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size), putting the university $6,801 above that figure.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $352 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $29,770.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$14,346

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Bethune-Cookman University

Median federal student loan debt for borrowers who complete is $31,000. Nearly all undergraduates borrow through federal programs: the borrower share is 92.8%.

That median sits $6,801 above the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $29,770.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 82% of graduates borrowed from any source, including 81% with federal loans averaging $29,686. Average cumulative borrowing was $32,105 per borrower. Private loans averaged $21,886 among the 10% of graduates who held them.

For Bethune-Cookman University, the investment picture pairs low earnings four years after completion with earnings that exceed the model's expectation. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $46,007 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 11th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offer a separate measure.

Graduates earn about $2,099 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios put earnings at $34,284 in a downside case, $46,007 in a typical case, and $63,744 in an upside case. Median federal debt of $31,000 is $6,801 above the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $352 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture is mixed: earnings exceed the model, but the debt comparison is less favorable.

Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $29,770, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $352 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$31,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$29,770

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$352/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$378/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

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.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Bethune-Cookman University briefing

Bethune-Cookman University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

For Bethune-Cookman University, graduates earn about $2,099 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 63rd percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $1,705.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $3,804. Azimuth puts the return pillar in the 12th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $46,007, placing earnings in the 11th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250; the university's median is $22,243 below it.

Earnings beat the model, but the school-level median sits below comparable peers.

The earnings picture at Bethune-Cookman University centers on median earnings of $46,007 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that measure in the 11th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, using an earnings cohort of 701 completers.

Earnings scenarios from the program mix put typical earnings at $46,007, with a downside scenario of $34,284 and an upside scenario of $63,744. An estimated 24.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offers a second lens. Graduates earn about $2,099 more than the model expects for similar students.

The above-expected result and the low earnings placement point in different directions.

The return picture is mixed: at Bethune-Cookman University, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $46,007 four years after completion, in the 11th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, with the university $22,243 below that figure.

Graduates earn about $2,099 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 63rd percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $1,705. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $3,804.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $636. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from a downside of $34,284 to an upside of $63,744.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,295 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Lower earnings against comparable institutions and higher-than-expected earnings point in different directions.

Nursing is the highest-earning listed field, with 10 degrees awarded and median earnings of $76,641 four years after completion; that is 0.86x of the national median for its field. Gerontology awarded 9 degrees and posted $51,623 in median earnings, or 0.95x of its field’s national median.

Business Administration and Management had 42 degrees awarded and median earnings of $50,413, equal to 0.74x of the national field median. Criminal Justice awarded 57 degrees and had median earnings of $46,540, at 0.84x of the national median for its field.

Program mix leaves room for markedly different earnings scenarios. The downside earnings scenario is $34,284, and the upside scenario is $63,744; these are scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates.

Among programs with published medians, Nursing reaches $76,641 four years after completion, compared with Gerontology at $51,623 and Business Administration and Management at $50,413. Those program figures give the modeled range a practical context.

At Bethune-Cookman University, a low average net price sits alongside borrower debt that requires a peer comparison. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,030, and aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $31,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199, and the university’s debt figure is above it by $6,801.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $352 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers who used Parent PLUS loans have median borrowing of $29,770.

Graduates earn about $2,099 more than the model expects for similar students. The lower net price and above-expected earnings point one way, but debt sits above the comparable-school median.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
-$1,705
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$3,804
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$2,099

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Bethune-Cookman University briefing

Bethune-Cookman University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Bethune-Cookman University admits 88.2% of applicants, above the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The rate is above that peer midpoint, describing a less restrictive admissions outcome for the reported applicant pool.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 10,994 first-year applicants, 9,701 admitted applicants, and 1,012 enrolled students.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
88.2%
Approximate lower endpoint
830
Reported average
880
Approximate upper endpoint
990

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Bethune-Cookman University briefing

What are the largest majors at Bethune-Cookman University?[12]

Program choice matters here because four-year earnings differ sharply across the fields shown. Nursing had median earnings of $76,641 four years after completion and 10 degrees awarded.

Gerontology recorded $51,623 with 9 degrees awarded, placing it among the higher-earning fields in this group. At more moderate levels, Business Administration and Management posted median earnings of $50,413 four years after completion across 42 degrees awarded.

Criminal Justice recorded $46,540 and 57 degrees awarded. The contrast between these fields shows that the earnings picture depends substantially on the program selected.

Bethune-Cookman University’s degree output has its largest shares in Psychology at 15.5% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, Business at 15.3%, and Security & Protective Services at 14.8%. Within fields with published outcomes, earnings differ enough to make the individual field important to the return picture. Business Administration and Management awarded 42 degrees and posted $50,413.

The degree mix at Bethune-Cookman University is spread across several fields, with no single family dominating. Psychology accounts for 15.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded, closely followed by Business at 15.3% and Security & Protective Services at 14.8%.

The largest programs are Psychology at 60 degrees awarded, Criminal Justice at 57, and Business Administration and Management at 42. The university has 8 programs with published four-year earnings data.

Among the largest, Criminal Justice graduates earn a median of $46,540 four years after completion, which is 0.84x the national median for the field. Business Administration and Management reports earnings of $50,413, at 0.74x the national median.

The highest-earning program is a much smaller one. Nursing graduates earn $76,641 four years out, from 10 degrees awarded a year.

Gerontology, with 9 degrees awarded, follows at $51,623. The pattern is one of modest earnings across most programs, with a few smaller fields reaching higher.

Communication and Media Studies and Liberal Arts and General Studies round out the largest programs with published earnings, with earnings of $30,852 and $42,127 respectively. Across all fields, 6.2% of degrees are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Psychology, General 60 degrees awarded
$37,793
Criminal Justice and Corrections 57 degrees awarded
$46,540
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 42 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Business Administration, Management and Operations 42 degrees awarded
$50,413
Communication and Media Studies 41 degrees awarded
$30,852
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 41 degrees awarded
$42,127

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Bethune-Cookman University briefing

How does Bethune-Cookman University serve students from different backgrounds?

For the first-time full-time cohort at Bethune-Cookman University, the six-year graduation rate is 30.5%, making completion the limiting part of its mobility picture. Pell recipients in that cohort complete within six years at 33.5%, above the overall rate by 3.0 percentage points.

Azimuth assigns the mobility pillar a 13th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, point more favorably.

Graduates earn about $2,099 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 63rd percentile nationally. Modeled earnings are above expectation, but completion remains low.

At Bethune-Cookman University, access is marked by a high share of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants and a broad admission rate. The university enrolls 2,732 undergraduates and admits 88.2% of applicants.

Pell Grant recipients account for 78.3% of undergraduates, while an estimated 9.3% enter as transfers or part-time students. According to Azimuth, the access pillar is in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

These figures describe multiple routes into a university with a large Pell Grant population.

06 / Bethune-Cookman University briefing

What colleges are similar to Bethune-Cookman University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Bethune-Cookman University.

Admissions peerSouth Carolina State University82.6% admitted
Comparison with Bethune-Cookman University
MeasureBethune-Cookman UniversitySouth Carolina State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$46,007$46,691+$684 vs Bethune-Cookman University
Average annual net price$12,030$18,097+$6,067 vs Bethune-Cookman University · higher cost
Admission rate88.2%82.6%
Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Southern Mississippi99.1% admitted
Comparison with Bethune-Cookman University
MeasureBethune-Cookman UniversityUniversity of Southern Mississippi
Peer earnings · 4 years$46,007$48,593+$2,586 vs Bethune-Cookman University
Average annual net price$12,030$21,708+$9,678 vs Bethune-Cookman University · higher cost
Admission rate88.2%99.1%
Explore University of Southern Mississippi →
Nearby alternativeFlagler CollegeNearby option · FL
Comparison with Bethune-Cookman University
MeasureBethune-Cookman UniversityFlagler College
Peer earnings · 4 years$46,007$52,031+$6,024 vs Bethune-Cookman University
Average annual net price$12,030$30,525+$18,495 vs Bethune-Cookman University · higher cost
Admission rate88.2%80.8%
Explore Flagler College →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with Bethune-Cookman University
MeasureBethune-Cookman UniversitySan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$46,007$89,614+$43,607 vs Bethune-Cookman University
Average annual net price$12,030$13,760+$1,730 vs Bethune-Cookman University · higher cost
Admission rate88.2%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeTrinity International University-Illinois$2,835 average net price
Comparison with Bethune-Cookman University
MeasureBethune-Cookman UniversityTrinity International University-Illinois
Peer earnings · 4 years$46,007$51,985+$5,978 vs Bethune-Cookman University
Average annual net price$12,030$2,835-$9,195 vs Bethune-Cookman University · lower cost
Admission rate88.2%100.0%
Similar profileCampbellsville UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Bethune-Cookman University
MeasureBethune-Cookman UniversityCampbellsville University
Peer earnings · 4 years$46,007$47,650+$1,643 vs Bethune-Cookman University
Average annual net price$12,030$19,341+$7,311 vs Bethune-Cookman University · higher cost
Admission rate88.2%79.7%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

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

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings