McPherson College vs. Bethany College

McPherson College vs. Bethany College comparison

	McPherson College	Bethany College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	McPherson College	Bethany College
Location	McPherson, KS	Bethany, WV
Setting	Remote Town	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	788	671
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation	Church of Brethren	Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mcpherson.edu	bethanywv.edu
Team Colors

Costs	McPherson College	Bethany College
Tuition (In State)	$34,072	$31,920
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,072	$31,920
Room & Board	$10,322	$12,936
Avg Net Price	$25,490	$16,844
Avg Grant Aid	$22,929	$32,293
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	98%

Admission	McPherson College	Bethany College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,209	2,435
Admitted	1,013	1,473
Acceptance Rate	83.8%	60.5%
Enrolled %	23.8%	16.5%
Avg High School GPA	3.33	2.85
Typical High School Grades	B+	B-
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	17/24	18/26
SAT Range	936/1126	870/1110
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline	Aug 1, 2026

Academics	McPherson College	Bethany College
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (22%) Engineering Technology (16%) Visual and Performing Arts (15%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (9%) Education (8%)	Education (15%) Psychology (13%) Communication (11%) Social Sciences (10%) Human Services (8%)
Outcomes	McPherson College	Bethany College
Graduation Rate	46%	48%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$44,200	$44,000
Making Student Loan Payments	67%	56%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,000	$30,884
Median Loan Payment	$268	$319

Diversity	McPherson College	Bethany College
% Men	0%	2%
% Women	0%	2%
Racial Diversity	Medium	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	70%	51%
% Black	10%	18%
% Hispanic	12%	5%
% Native American	1%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	2%
% International	4%	2%
% Unknown Race	0%	20%

Students	McPherson College	Bethany College
% In-State	27%	20%
% Out-of-State	69%	80%
Campus	McPherson College	Bethany College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	Yes
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• McPherson College is larger than than Bethany College based on total student enrollment (788 students vs. 671 students)

McPherson College vs. Bethany College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, McPherson College or Bethany College?

• McPherson College is 6.7% more expensive to attend than Bethany College for in-state tuition ($34,072.00 vs. $31,920.00)
• Out of state tuition is 6.7% higher at McPherson College than Bethany College ($34,072.00 vs. $31,920.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Bethany College than McPherson College ($16,844 vs. $25,490)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at McPherson College are 25.3% lower than costs at Bethany College ($10,322 vs. $12,936)
• More students receive financial grant aid at McPherson College than Bethany College (100% vs. 98%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Bethany College students is 40.8% larger than aid received McPherson College ($32,293 vs. $22,929)

McPherson College vs. Bethany College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at McPherson College (940) is 33 points higher than at Bethany College (907)
• Incoming McPherson College students have at the same average ACT score (20) as students at Bethany College (20)
• Accepted freshman McPherson College students have a 0.48 point higher average high school GPA (3.33) than students at Bethany College (2.85)
• McPherson College has a higher acceptance rate (83.8%) than Bethany College (60.5%)

McPherson College vs. Bethany College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, McPherson College or Bethany 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 Bethany College and McPherson College.

• The graduation rate at Bethany College is higher than McPherson College (48% vs. 46%)
• Graduates from McPherson College earn on average $200 more per year than Bethany College graduates after ten years. ($44,200 vs. $44,000)
• McPherson College students graduate with a $4,884 lower median federal student loan debt than Bethany College graduates. ($26,000 vs. $30,884)
• McPherson College graduates are paying $51 less per month on federal student loans than Bethany College graduates. ($268 vs. $319)
• More McPherson College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Bethany College students, three years after graduation. (67% vs. 56%)

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