Henderson State University vs. Bethel

Henderson State University vs. Bethel University comparison

	Henderson State University	Bethel University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Henderson State University	Bethel
Location	Arkadelphia, AR	McKenzie, TN
Setting	Distant Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	2,136	2,974
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#988	#992
Religious Affiliation	-	Cumberland Presbyterian	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	hsu.edu	bethelu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Henderson State University	Bethel
Tuition (In State)	$6,163	$16,870
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,160	$16,870
Room & Board	$10,680	$10,537
Avg Net Price	$16,929	$20,606
Avg Grant Aid	$9,017	$10,423
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	90%

Admission	Henderson State University	Bethel
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,814	3,318
Admitted	1,486	3,224
Acceptance Rate	81.9%	97.2%
Enrolled %	20.6%	12.5%
Avg High School GPA	3.23	3.6
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Very Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	16/21	16/24
SAT Range	903/1073	625/1100
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Jul 15, 2026

Academics	Henderson State University	Bethel
Student to Faculty Ratio	17:1	17:1
Popular Majors	Education (19%) Business (17%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (11%) Psychology (8%) Biology (6%)	Business (78%) Education (5%) Biology (3%) Health Professions (3%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (2%)
Outcomes	Henderson State University	Bethel
Graduation Rate	31%	32%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,400	$42,700
Making Student Loan Payments	48%	33%
Median Student Loan Debt	$19,500	$28,250
Median Loan Payment	$201	$292

Diversity	Henderson State University	Bethel
% Men	8%	3%
% Women	23%	5%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	66%	46%
% Black	24%	40%
% Hispanic	4%	1%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	5%
% Two or More Races	4%	1%
% International	1%	1%
% Unknown Race	0%	5%

Students	Henderson State University	Bethel
% In-State	77%	80%
% Out-of-State	21%	19%
Campus	Henderson State University	Bethel
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Bethel University is larger than than Henderson State University based on total student enrollment (2,974 students vs. 2,136 students)

Henderson State University vs. Bethel Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Henderson State University or Bethel?

• Bethel University is 173.7% more expensive to attend than Henderson State University for in-state tuition ($16,870.00 vs. $6,163.00)
• Out of state tuition is 106.7% higher at Bethel than Henderson State University ($16,870.00 vs. $8,160.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Henderson State University than Bethel ($16,929 vs. $20,606)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Bethel University are 1.4% lower than costs at Henderson State University ($10,537 vs. $10,680)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Henderson State University than Bethel University (99% vs. 90%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Bethel University students is 15.6% larger than aid received Henderson State University ($10,423 vs. $9,017)

Henderson State University vs. Bethel Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Henderson State University (988) is 60 points higher than at Bethel (928)
• Incoming Henderson State University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (21) than students at Bethel (20)
• Accepted freshman Bethel students have a 0.37 point higher average high school GPA (3.6) than students at Henderson State University (3.23)
• Bethel has a higher acceptance rate (97.2%) than Henderson State University (81.9%)

Henderson State University vs. Bethel Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Henderson State University or Bethel? 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 Bethel and Henderson State University.

• The graduation rate at Bethel is higher than Henderson State University (32% vs. 31%)
• Graduates from Bethel University earn on average $4,300 more per year than Henderson State University graduates after ten years. ($42,700 vs. $38,400)
• Henderson State University students graduate with a $8,750 lower median federal student loan debt than Bethel graduates. ($19,500 vs. $28,250)
• Henderson State University graduates are paying $91 less per month on federal student loans than Bethel graduates. ($201 vs. $292)
• More Henderson State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Bethel students, three years after graduation. (48% vs. 33%)

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