Gustavus Adolphus College vs Bethany College

Gustavus Adolphus College and Bethany College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Gustavus Adolphus, a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota, boasts a 95% acceptance rate and a 79% graduation rate. Bethany, a private Christian college in Lindsborg, Kansas, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 88% and a graduation rate of 65%. While Gustavus Adolphus is known for its strong programs in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, Bethany excels in music, religion, and education. Both colleges foster diverse student bodies, with Gustavus Adolphus enrolling a larger population of 2,500 students compared to Bethany's 600. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions.

	Bethany College	Gustavus Adolphus College
Overview
Location	Lindsborg, Kansas	Saint Peter, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	38.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	71.9%	72.6%
Application fees
SAT range	810 - 1015	N/A
ACT range	17 - 23	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	14.0%
Students submitting ACT score	43.0%	28.0%
Total number of applicants	2,627	3,799
Total number of admissions given out	1,888	2,757
Admitted students who chose to enroll	256	551
Yield rate	13.6%	20.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$51,560	$63,270
Average net price	$26,732	$27,657
Tuition	$29,200	$49,950
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,375 Meal plan: $5,600	Room/dormitory: $6,750 Meal plan: $3,950
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $22,305	99.0% Average amount $33,174
Students receiving federal student loan	90.0% Average amount $5,285	49.0% Average amount $6,197
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $13,614	17.0% Average amount $14,100

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	737 Men 57.7% Women 42.3%	2,251 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	67.2%	19.2%
International students	4.8%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	712	2,125
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Kansas Texas Oklahoma California Florida	Minnesota Wisconsin South Dakota Texas Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Visual & Performing Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Business Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	30.4%	78.4%
Dropout rate	69.6%	9.3%
Transferred out	N/A	12.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,319 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,090 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: N/A Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,708 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $64,196 Year 3: $72,945 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,715 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,688 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,092 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,456 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,254 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $60,313 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,068 Year 2: $48,302 Year 3: $52,394 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,694 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $48,449 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,021 Year 2: $42,166 Year 3: $45,271 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,866 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $42,958 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,044 Year 2: $35,179 Year 3: $41,058 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,638 Year 2: $36,745 Year 3: $39,885

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Bethany College

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