Bethel (MN) awards an automatic, unweighted-GPA academic-achievement grid (Dean's $3,000 / Provost's $5,000 / President's $7,000) to traditional College of Arts & Sciences students — a structure that's new for students beginning fall 2025 or later. (DRAFT)
Verified Jul 20262 months ago
The short answer
Is Bethel (MN) worth a closer look?
Bethel (MN) is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 3 published awards, and one is based on those numbers.
Merit tiers31 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
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Published scholarships
These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.
Dean's: incoming fall 2026 HS GPA 2.90-3.49 (spring 2026 and fall 2026 transfer 2.80-3.49); Provost's 3.50-3.89; President's 3.90-4.00 (unweighted, 4.0 scale)
See who qualifies and how to keep it+
Who qualifies
Cumulative high school or transfer GPA at point of admission; transfer = 24+ post-HS credits; College of Arts & Sciences
How to keep it
Renewable annually. Must be enrolled at least half-time in courses required for graduation, be in good standing, and work toward a first bachelor's degree; awards prorated for less than full-time. A specific renewal-GPA threshold is not stated on this page.
Notes
Test-blind GPA grid (no ACT/SAT). Automatically considered during admissions. IMPORTANT freshness note: this President/Provost/Dean's structure applies to students 'beginning fall 2025 or later' — earlier cohorts had a different scholarship structure. Dean's GPA floor differs by entry term (2.80 spring 2026 / transfer vs 2.90 fall 2026).
Current/returning CAS students recommended by departments; both need- and merit-based; half-time minimum
Notes
For returning students only; apply to the relevant department(s) by the February 10 deadline; selected by department committees, notified in late April.
These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Bethel (MN)'s published information.
Renewal ruleAcademic Achievement Scholarships (Dean's / Provost's / President's): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable annually. Must be enrolled at least half-time in courses required for graduation, be in good standing, and work toward a first bachelor's degree; awards prorated for less than full-time. A specific renewal-GPA threshold is not stated on this page. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Aid capHard $45,150 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at Bethel (MN) cannot push the package past $45,150. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
What families often miss
This grid is for students 'beginning fall 2025 or later'; earlier cohorts had a different scholarship structure, so older award letters or third-party summaries may not match.
The Dean's Scholarship floor is 2.80 for spring 2026 and fall 2026 transfer students but 2.90 for fall 2026 first-year students — the cutoff shifts by entry term.
Bethel grants and scholarships are reduced if total gift aid from all sources exceeds your COA budget; total aid (including loans) cannot exceed cost of attendance.
Bethel grants and scholarships require at least half-time enrollment in courses required for graduation and are prorated below full-time; you must also stay in good standing and pursue a first bachelor's degree.
The grid is purely GPA-based (unweighted, 4.0 scale) — submitting test scores does not change the award; only your cumulative HS/transfer GPA at admission matters.
Departmental scholarships are one-year awards that require a new application each year by February 10 — even renewals must reapply.
See costs and school data+
Who this school may work for
Traditional first-year and transfer College of Arts & Sciences students with a 2.80+ unweighted GPA earn an automatic award scaled by GPA, topping out at the President's Scholarship at a 3.90-4.00 GPA. (DRAFT)
Published yearly cost: Approximately $45,150 for 2026-2027. Source
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Bethel (MN), what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Bethel (MN), academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$22,218
$30,001–$48,000
$22,279
$48,001–$75,000
$20,071
$75,001–$110,000
$24,963
$110,001+
$33,155
All income levels (average)
$28,556
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$44,226
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$28,556
That works out to roughly a 51% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $58,569 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
71%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,500 (~$228/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$63,764
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
22%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
58%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
COA cap: Bethel grants and scholarships are reduced if total gift aid from all sources exceeds the financial aid cost-of-attendance budget; total aid (scholarships + grants + loans) cannot exceed COA.
The page reduces Bethel's own grants/scholarships when combined gift aid (including outside scholarships) exceeds COA. No explicit loan-first/grant-first ordering is published beyond 'may be reduced.'
How do I apply for the academic-achievement scholarships?
You're automatically considered during the admissions process (for students beginning fall 2025 or later). The award is set by your cumulative unweighted high school or transfer GPA at the point of admission.
What GPA do I need for each tier?
Dean's $3,000: ~2.80-3.49 (2.90-3.49 for fall 2026 first-years); Provost's $5,000: 3.50-3.89; President's $7,000: 3.90-4.00.
Can my total aid exceed my cost of attendance?
No. Bethel grants and scholarships are reduced if your total gift aid from all sources exceeds your COA budget, and total aid (scholarships + grants + loans) cannot exceed COA.
When is the departmental scholarship deadline?
February 10 each year, for returning students who apply to their department(s); recipients are notified in late April.
See sources and other schools+
How Bethel (MN) compares
235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Bethel (MN) is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Bethel (MN) is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Bethel (MN)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
