Bethel vs. Messenger College

Bethel University vs. Messenger College comparison

	Bethel University	Messenger College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Bethel	Messenger College
Location	McKenzie, TN	Joplin, TX
Setting	Distant Town	Small City
Enrollment	2,974	26
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#992
Religious Affiliation	Cumberland Presbyterian	Other Protestant	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	bethelu.edu	messengercollege.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Bethel	Messenger College
Tuition (In State)	$16,870	$9,600
Tuition (Out of State)	$16,870	$9,600
Room & Board	$10,537	$12,635
Avg Net Price	$20,606	$18,221
Avg Grant Aid	$10,423	$7,978
% Receiving Grant Aid	90%	100%

Admission	Bethel	Messenger College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	3,318	14
Admitted	3,224	7
Acceptance Rate	97.2%	50%
Enrolled %	12.5%	100%
Avg High School GPA	3.6	2.9
Typical High School Grades	B+	B-
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Unavailable
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	16/24
SAT Range	625/1100
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline		Jul 1, 2026

Academics	Bethel	Messenger College
Student to Faculty Ratio	17:1	8:1
Popular Majors	Business (78%) Education (5%) Biology (3%) Health Professions (3%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (2%)	Theology and Religious Vvocations (83%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (11%) Business (6%)
Outcomes	Bethel	Messenger College
Graduation Rate	32%	10%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$42,700	$24,000
Making Student Loan Payments	33%	40%
Median Student Loan Debt	$28,250	N/A
Median Loan Payment	$292	N/A

Diversity	Bethel	Messenger College
% Men	3%	19%
% Women	5%	35%
Racial Diversity	Very High	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	46%	54%
% Black	40%	18%
% Hispanic	1%	13%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	5%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	5%
% International	1%	2%
% Unknown Race	5%	8%

Students	Bethel	Messenger College
% In-State	80%	50%
% Out-of-State	19%	50%
Campus	Bethel	Messenger College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	No
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Bethel University is larger than than Messenger College based on total student enrollment (2,974 students vs. 26 students)

Bethel vs. Messenger College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Bethel or Messenger College?

• Bethel University is 75.7% more expensive to attend than Messenger College for in-state tuition ($16,870.00 vs. $9,600.00)
• Out of state tuition is 75.7% higher at Bethel than Messenger College ($16,870.00 vs. $9,600.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Messenger College than Bethel ($18,221 vs. $20,606)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Bethel University are 19.9% lower than costs at Messenger College ($10,537 vs. $12,635)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Messenger College than Bethel University (100% vs. 90%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Bethel University students is 30.6% larger than aid received Messenger College ($10,423 vs. $7,978)

Bethel vs. Messenger College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Bethel or Messenger College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Messenger College or Bethel .

• Accepted freshman Bethel students have a 0.7 point higher average high school GPA (3.6) than students at Messenger College (2.9)
• Bethel has a higher acceptance rate (97.2%) than Messenger College (50%)

Bethel vs. Messenger College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Bethel or Messenger College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Messenger College and Bethel.

• The graduation rate at Bethel is higher than Messenger College (32% vs. 10%)
• Graduates from Bethel University earn on average $18,700 more per year than Messenger College graduates after ten years. ($42,700 vs. $24,000)
• More Messenger College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Bethel students, three years after graduation. (40% vs. 33%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/