OverviewAdmissionsProgramsCostsFinancial AidUndergraduate OutcomesClassroomSportsSafetyHousingServicesResearchStudent BodySchool Finances
Overview
Founded in 1978, Bethesda University is located in a large city with a population of more than 250,000. It is in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA area.
Highlights
Largest undergraduate program (24): Business Administration and Management
Institutional Control
Bethesda University is a private not-for-profit organization.
Denomination
Other (none of the above)Fewer details
Accreditation
Accreditation provides important oversight over a school's instructional practices and institutional stability.
Bethesda University holds an accreditation from one of the national accreditors. Credits earned from the national accreditors are often not accepted by schools holding the more prestigious regional accreditation, and it's important to verify that your credits will transfer if you are considering an eventual switch to another school.
Accreditation History
Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, Accreditation Commission (Accredited April 9, 2003 - present)
- The next accreditation review was scheduled for December 31, 2021.
Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation (Accredited February 14, 2001 - February 10, 2016)
Undergraduate Students
Not all students attend their first college full time to completion. While some schools are focused on those that population, many schools focus on transfer and or part time students. What types of of student does this school support.
Full-time first-time students
Full-time transfer students
Part-time first-time students
Part-time transfer students
Admissions
Open Admissions
Bethesda University is an open admissions school and accepts any student who applies.
Fewer details
Admissions Details
Here are some important dates and little tidbits. Please double-check this information on the Bethesda University's webpage for the most up-to-date and accurate answers! We update this information with each school's annual reporting, but information can change unexpectedly. Select any item to view the details.
Admissions Criteria & Qualifications
Application Fee & Common App
Freshman application dates
Transfer application information
Credits accepted from new students
Programs
Bethesda University program offerings
What award level are you pursuing?
Bachelor's Degree
Select a degree to see the details, or use the sankey below to explore the options.
Select a degree
Order degrees by.
Program Size (Completions)
Business
Humanities
Education
Costs
Undergraduate costs
Here's a quick summary of costs to attend Bethesda University. You will find the most up-to-date information at their website for admissions.
View
All
Charge
Annual fees
Annual tuition
Estimated books and supplies
Miscellaneous (living off campus)
Miscellaneous (living with family)
Off-campus room and board
Per-credit charges
Cost
$200
$7,875
$400
$6,724
$4,700
$10,320
$255
Fewer details
Net price: the best estimate for the cost to attend
Most schools publish tuition rates that give them room to offer both scholarships and financial aid where applicable. Your best estimate of what might pay is to see what others with similar family incomes have paid. A more tailored and accurate estimate is available at this school's net price calculator.
Understanding net price
With their net price calculators, many colleges and universities give an idea of what merit-based aid might accompany need-based aid. For schools that share such data, we also provide financial aid data in the Finanical Aid sections.
There are some caveats to consider when using the net price estimates:
- The net price calculation is weighted by this school's proportion of students living on- and off-campus and this school's estimate of off-campus costs, which may cause the net price methodology be a bit inconsistent from school to school.
- Parental income and student financial aid eligibility is sometimes more complicated than the simple family income number reported here.
- The net price calculation for all students is inclusive of students who received any institutional or government aid, but at the family income levels the net price only considers the tuition paid by those who qualified for federal aid.
You can get a little better guess at what you would pay by using this school's net price calculator.
Percentage of students receiving any aid
The donut, based on 58 full-time first-time degree seeking students at Bethesda University, shows the percentage of those who received any financial aid (including merit-based scholarships), subdivided by family income.
Aid type and family income
Federal: $0-30K
Federal: $30K-48K
Federal: $48K-75K
Federal: $75K-110K
Federal: Above $110K
Only institutional
Net price by family income
All Incomes
Let's look over the past few years at what freshmen who received any financial aid actually paid for tuition, fees, books, and living expenses on average, and how that compares to the tuition usually paid for other private universities in your context group. Public universities only report net price for in-state students.
Find your net price estimate: www.buc.edu...
Not so much?
Historic Annual Costs
See how this school's published costs have changed over the years, and how their cost trends compare with other private schools.
Published costs may have little to do with what you actually pay
It's important to remember that a school's published costs may not be indicative of what it will actually cost to attend. Time magazine wrote about this in their article Yes, you can get a college to cut its tuition price. Nonetheless, this inflation-adjusted look at the historic annual costs for tuition, fees, books, and supplies can give you an idea of the costs you might expect in the coming years. Comparing the total costs inclusive of room and board (if applicable) with the annual net price estimates in the previous tab will help you determine the financial aid package to expect.
Private and public universities' charges are difficult to compare due to the in-state and out-of-state price differences of public universities, and therefore we only compare Bethesda University to other private schools within your chosen context group.
Undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and supplies over time
Financial Aid
Student Financial Need
How likely are you to get a scholarship if you attend? This section covers the likelihood that students with or without need are receiving financial aid. You can see this data for the full-time degree-seeking undergraduate student population as a whole or for full-time freshmen only.
Choose a student group
Full-time undergraduates
Full-time freshmen
Context: Need met for full-time undergraduates
Bethesda University uses federal methodology to determine if a student needs aid. According to their benchmark, they believe that 80% of full-time degree-seeking undergraduate need has been met. In general, the funds that close the gap between the cost of attendance (COA) and the expected family contribution (EFC) is filled by student loans, but some schools distribute enough financial aid to make sure this is not necessary. Visit the financial aid website to explore what promises Bethesda Universitymakes.
Overview of student need and resources used (Full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students)
The average annual financial aid package received by full-time degree-seeking undergraduates who were identified to have need totals $5,000, of which on average $4,000 is in the form of loans.
Student financial need
Have need
No need
Fewer details
Financial aid overview
Understanding the rules and process that determine who gets financial aid can be intimidating. Here are some quick links to help:
- Visit Bethesda University's Net Price Calculator for the most accurate estimate of your anticipated costs. Every school publishes a Net Price Calculator that does its best to give you a fair estimate of what you might expect to pay. Many calculators consider your high school record as part of the calculation. This will be far more accurate than any of the averages or published tuition values that you see here.
- FederalStudentAid, a government site that will walk you through the federal financial aid process. There are a number of kinds of student loans and other aid, and this site can walk you through all of the choices you will need to make.
Applicants are notified of results on a rolling basis beginning August 1 and must respond within 2 weeks.
Required Forms
Loan Programs
Need-based Scholarships Available
Non-need-based Scholarships Available
International Students
Not so much?
Cumulative student loans
The student loan data in this section is compiled for the most recent graduating class at , and provides total debt incurred while attending.
Student loan type
The bars below give you a peek at what types of loans students took out most frequently. Using the tab, you can view the average amounts of each type of loan.
Average student loan amounts
The bars below show the average cumative amount corresponding to each type of loan. Use the tabs above to see the percentages of students using each type of loan.
Undergraduate Outcomes
Graduation Rate
Approximately 68% of undergraduate students were full-time with about 22% of them attending college for the first time. In the last reporting year, 48% of students, including those who were part-time or transfer students, received a degree within 8 years.
Time to complete
4 years
6 years
8 years
Context: Graduation rate
These numbers reflect eight-year graduation rates for all degrees at the colleges and universities in your chosen context group. This reporting is for undergraduate students inclusive of transfer students and full/part-time students.
Fewer details
Are students graduating on time?
Let us tell you all about low graduation rates!
Across the country, graduation rates are surprisingly low. In fact, Forbes Magazine suggests that they are unacceptably low. However, from another point of view, sometimes graduation rates simply reflect the relative preparation of the students who enter. Colleges with a mission to help people coming from less advantaged backgrounds, such as first-generation and low-income students, may have low graduation rates despite relatively strong outcomes for students who face many obstacles to success. Without the context provided in these views of completion rates, it can be tricky to separate predatory schools that take financial advantage of under-prepared students from those that are actively seeking to encourage and help those students.
For the consumer choosing a school, once you have narrowed your list to those schools that you can afford and that seem likely to admit you, consider the outcome measures in this section and choose the specific measures that best describe your plans. Very simply, schools with high graduation rates and high loan repayment rates will likely give you the best opportunity to succeed.
Context: the impact of wealth and transfer status on degree completion
We took a close look lagging success for students with financial need in a case study. Here's a chance to compare schools based on student successes with a better appreciation of how circumstances may impact success. One word of caution: the statistics for some categories may consist of only a handful of students -- see the details by hovering or long-pressing on the bars.
Full-time first-time students
Full-time transfer students
Part-time first-time students
Part-time transfer students
Choose a student group
Full-time first-time students
Full-time transfer students
Part-time first-time students
Part-time transfer students
Percentage with Pell Grants
Years after enrolling.
4
6
8
Full-time first-time students who received an award within 8 years after enrolling
Context and trends: Repayment Rate
How much progress do you think you'll be able to make towards paying down your college loans seven years after leaving school? In our research, we discovered that a surprisingly large number of students don't default on their loans, but also aren't making progress in paying down their principal amount. The percentages here count alumni who have decreased their loan amounts by at least $1.
Years after leaving school.
5
3
Context and trends: are the loan default rates as small as possible?
The default rate is the percentage of students who are already delinquent on their loans within three years of leaving the school. If a school has a high default rate, that sends an alarm out that the students' educations are not sufficient to earn enough to repay those loans. Read below for details on the typical loan burden, and keep in mind that a low default rate may be more important than loan amounts in predicting your future success.
Loan burden
At Bethesda University, 26% of full-time degree-seeking freshmen receive federal student loans, averaging $6,806 each in just the freshman year. We have much more details about the full loan burden students experience in our Cost and Financial Aid Section.
Context: Percentage of freshmen with federal loans
Context: Average freshman federal loan amount
Not so much?
Classroom Experience
Student attention at Bethesda University
Schools are required to report the ratio of students per instructor, but look for a small number of students for every full-time instructor as your best indicator of personal attention and a modern well-integrated curriculum.
Sports
Varsity sports at Bethesda University
Bethesda University participates in the NCCAA Division I.
Fewer details
Sports participation
Note: Participants include any of the following: a student listed on the varsity roster, a student reciving student aid related to this sport, or a student who is practicing with the varsity team and receiving coaching from the varsity coaching staff, including junior varsity, freshman, redshirt, or novice participants as well as fifth-year members who have already received a bachelor\'s degree.
Not so much?
Sports revenue and expenses
View
Revenue
Game Day Expenses
Expense per participant
Note: For many sports, the revenue is typically from institutional support, but for the popular sports at division I schools, revenue can be large and include money generated by public consumption of sporting events. Revenues can include appearance guarantees and options, contributions from alumni and others, royalties, sponsorships, profits from camps, government support, and ticket sales, as well as institutional support.
Campus Safety
Crime at Bethesda University
Bethesda University employs the following safety measure on their campus: Patrols by trained security person and 24-hour security monitor.
Disciplinary Actions
Liquor Violations
Drug Violations
Weapon Possessions
Fewer details
Context: Disciplinary Actions
Average number of disciplinary violoations at Bethesda University as a percentage of students compared to all of the schools in the comparison group.
Context: Arrests
Average number of arrests at Bethesda University as a percentage of students compared to all of the schools in the comparison group.
Criminal Offenses
Burglaries/Robberies
Sex Offenses
Vehicle Thefts
Aggrevated Assaults
Context: Criminal Offenses
Average number of criminal offenses at Bethesda University as a percentage of students compared to all of the schools in the comparison group.
Housing
Activities and Services
Special academic opportunities
- Cooperative program
- Credit for advanced placement
- Distance learning
- Double-major allowed
- English as a Second Language program
- Formal adult program
- Independent study courses
- Internships
- Orientation program
- Part-time degree programs
- Study abroad
- Summer session
Undergraduate services offered
- Personal/psychological counseling
- Academic/career counseling services
Research
The library is the backbone of academic learning and research
A rigorous academic program requires that students and faculty alike are engaging in independent research, and that activity requires strong library support. You can get some useful information here:
- How strong and how balanced between traditional physical books and easily-accessed (but expensive) electronic journals and other resources is this library?
- How much is this library borrowing from other libraries? The number of interlibrary loans received can indicate the school's commitment to getting the resources on-campus researchers need, and also of the research activity on campus.
- How big a resource is this library to other libraries? A large number of outgoing interlibrary loans speaks highly of the value of its content.
The presence of a library in and of itself is a good thing. Increasingly, libraries are comfortable and inviting spaces for individual and group study sessions. Librarians can be incredibly friendly guides in your quest to find materials that aid your learning.
Comparison of library resources per student
How do the per-student library resources at Bethesda University compare to other schools?
Comparison of library loans per student
A small library could make up for a small collection by allowing a large number of interlibrary loans to be received. An excellent library can show its strength by its number of loans given.
Research funding: the best indicator of post-baccalaureate academic rigor
Any school that reports at least $150,000 in research and development expenditures in a given year should have submitted out the Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey to the National Science Foundation (NSF). We did not find HERD data for $Bethesda University, so there would at most modest graduate-level academic scholarship campus-wide.
Student Body
Undergraduate Study Types
About 69% of undergraduate students are full-time. About 6% of undergraduate students take all of their courses via distance education, while another 87% take some courses online.
Undergraduate Full-time
Undergraduate Online classes
Context: Student body size
Bethesda University enrolled 476 students over the past academic year. The the student body size is smaller than 85% of the context schools.
Undergraduate student gender
Is the gender balance of Bethesda University undergraduate students important to you? You can see the breakdown in this donut chart.
Gender
Men
Women
Undergraduate student race/origin
Bethesda University reports that 46% of undergraduate students are minority, which is more than 69% of the context schools. However, with 48% international students representing 10 countries, this school has a lower percentage of international students than 92% of the context schools.
Race/Origin
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
American Indian
Multiracial
International
Fewer details
Context: Gender Balance
It is very difficult for many types of schools to achieve a gender balance, and this context is valuable in evaluating the balance at Bethesda University.
Context: Percentage of women
With 32% women undergraduate students, Bethesda University has a lower percentage of women than 96% of context schools.
Context: Undergraduate student race/origin
Here is how Bethesda University compares to the rest of the context group in terms of diversity in the student race and origin.
Freshman residences
A high proportion of international and out-of-state students speaks to reputation and offers an opportunity for diverse interactions in and out of class.
Bethesda University has undergraduates from 7 states or territories and 10 countries.
Freshman residence
In-state
Out-of-state
International
Not Reported
Undergraduate student age distribution
The age distribution at a school can tell you a lot about its mission. If you're looking for a traditional undergraduate experience, you may prefer to see students who are mostly younger than 25 (lighter shades), but if you want support as a returning student, a large number of students 25 and older (darker shades) may better suit your needs.
Age range
Under 18
18-19
20-21
22-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-49
50-64
65 and over
Unknown
School Finances
Bethesda University: What its budget can tell you about classroom quality
Where a school spends and collects its money can suggest a lot about the educational experience it offers. The tabs below offer a look at spending that is important for the quality of your experience if you attend.
Instructional spending
Student services spending
Context and trends: Instructional expenditures per student
Instructional expenses are primarily the salary and benefits paid to the heart of a school: its full-time instructors. High expenditures in this area suggest care in hiring enough highly qualified full-time faculty to provide personal attention and up-to-date subject-area excellence.
Fewer details
Does incoming revenue consistently cover expenses?
Bethesda University is a private not-for-profit school. Along with publicly-controlled schools, not-for-profit schools do not have the goal of annual profit, but they do want to have healthy finances with adequate revenue to meet all expenses. On the other hand, private for-profit schools have creating a profit for shareholders as an annual goal.
Total revenue and expenses by category
We divided revenue and expenses for Bethesda University into categories to give some insight to what may have influenced peaks and ditches in the chart above. The purple shades correspond most directly to student education. The blue shades, auxiliary expenses and revenue, are often related to room and board. We show investment gains and losses in apricot.
Investment gains
Tuition and fees revenue
Government appropriations etc.
Private and capital gifts
Educational sales revenue
Other revenue
Investment losses
Instructional expenses
Student services expenses
Academic support expenses
Institutional support expenses
Research expenses
Public service expenses
Other expenses
Not so much?
The power of a large endowment
Related to the previous question of whether the annual revenue stream is stable is the question, "How deep are this school's pockets?" For many schools, a major source of annual income is investment growth. Schools with large endowments have a built-in revenue stream, although you'll see in the accompanying graphs that this revenue stream is highly dependent on the nation's economy. You can choose how to examine the depth of Bethesda University's resources by selecting from the buttons below.
Choose asset category
Net Assets
Net Assets Per Student
Here we examine assets at Bethesda University in context, and it seems most fair to adjust for the size of the institution. We examine the assets per full-time-equivalent student so that we level the playing field for size.
There's a catch to these assets, though. Many gifts to a school's endowment have strings attached; the money is restricted to a specific purpose. Assets shown in green below are unrestricted, and are very important to a school's ability to meet its financial obligations. Some assets are the land and buildings that a school must have in order to function, and these may appear as green (unrestricted assets) but are nonetheless less helpful in meeting annual financial commitments. This look at assets is only a piece of the puzzle as we decide if a school is stable.
Restricted net assets
Unrestricted net assets
Context: 2019 net assets per student
