Simpson College vs. Bethel University

Simpson College vs. Bethel University comparison

	Simpson College	Bethel University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Simpson College	Bethel University
Location	Indianola, IA	Saint Paul, MN
Setting	Distant Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	1,163	3,521
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#407	#320
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	Baptist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	simpson.edu	bethel.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Simpson College	Bethel University
Tuition (In State)	$45,306	$42,760
Tuition (Out of State)	$45,306	$42,760
Room & Board	$10,088	$12,090
Avg Net Price	$23,637	$30,375
Avg Grant Aid	$35,240	$25,924
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	99%

Admission	Simpson College	Bethel University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,646	1,642
Admitted	1,463	1,494
Acceptance Rate	88.9%	91%
Enrolled %	23.4%	28.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.62	3.6
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27	23/29
SAT Range	890/1280	1065/1240
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Aug 15, 2026	May 1, 2026

Academics	Simpson College	Bethel University
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (22%) Education (11%) Social Sciences (8%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (7%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%)	Business (24%) Health Professions (18%) Education (10%) Communication (8%) Psychology (5%)
Outcomes	Simpson College	Bethel University
Graduation Rate	69%	73%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,000	$50,100
Making Student Loan Payments	77%	80%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$24,400
Median Loan Payment	$279	$252

Diversity	Simpson College	Bethel University
% Men	1%	8%
% Women	1%	17%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	88%	78%
% Black	2%	5%
% Hispanic	3%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	2%
% International	0%	0%
% Unknown Race	3%	7%

Students	Simpson College	Bethel University
% In-State	72%	82%
% Out-of-State	27%	16%
Campus	Simpson College	Bethel University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Bethel University is larger than than Simpson College based on total student enrollment (3,521 students vs. 1,163 students)

Simpson College vs. Bethel University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Simpson College or Bethel University?

• Simpson College is 6% more expensive to attend than Bethel University for in-state tuition ($45,306.00 vs. $42,760.00)
• Out of state tuition is 6% higher at Simpson College than Bethel University ($45,306.00 vs. $42,760.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Simpson College than Bethel University ($23,637 vs. $30,375)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Simpson College are 19.8% lower than costs at Bethel University ($10,088 vs. $12,090)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Simpson College than Bethel University (100% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Simpson College students is 35.9% larger than aid received Bethel University ($35,240 vs. $25,924)

Simpson College vs. Bethel University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Bethel University (1127) is 23 points higher than at Simpson College (1104)
• Incoming Bethel University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Simpson College (24)
• Accepted freshman Simpson College students have a 0.02 point higher average high school GPA (3.62) than students at Bethel University (3.6)
• Bethel University has a higher acceptance rate (91%) than Simpson College (88.9%)

Simpson College vs. Bethel University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Simpson College or Bethel University? 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 University and Simpson College.

• The graduation rate at Bethel University is higher than Simpson College (73% vs. 69%)
• Graduates from Bethel University earn on average $2,100 more per year than Simpson College graduates after ten years. ($50,100 vs. $48,000)
• Bethel University students graduate with a $2,600 lower median federal student loan debt than Simpson College graduates. ($24,400 vs. $27,000)
• Bethel University graduates are paying $27 less per month on federal student loans than Simpson College graduates. ($252 vs. $279)
• More Bethel University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Simpson College students, three years after graduation. (80% vs. 77%)

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