Bethany Global University

Private · Moderately Selective · MN

Photo: Tylervigen (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMN · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads81

Student:faculty13:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate23.9%

6-yr grad rate56.3%

Drop-out rate78.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$11k

Out-of-state tuition$11k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity27.2%

Gender diversity69.1%

International0%

IdentityCommuter · Interdenominational

Overview

Bethany Global University, in Bloomington, Minnesota, is a small evangelical Christian university built around a single premise: that missionary training belongs inside the degree itself rather than added on afterward. Growing out of a longstanding missions training school, it now grants bachelor's degrees while keeping an intensive, cross-cultural missions internship as a required part of the curriculum. The school draws students specifically interested in vocational missions or ministry rather than a general liberal arts education, and its size and culture reflect that narrow, committed purpose.

Academics

Degree programs pair a Bible and missiology core with practical majors such as business, education, or intercultural studies, all built around the expectation that graduates will serve overseas or in cross-cultural ministry. Coursework in the early years prepares students academically and spiritually for an extended field placement, and faculty include former or current missionaries who teach from direct field experience rather than purely academic training. Class sizes are small, and the curriculum is sequenced tightly around the internship rather than left flexible.

Worth knowing

The defining feature of a Bethany degree is a lengthy overseas missions internship, typically close to a year, embedded into the program rather than optional — students should expect to raise financial support and live abroad in a cross-cultural ministry setting as a graduation requirement, much like a career missionary would. This makes the school a poor fit for anyone not seriously committed to vocational ministry or missions work, but a distinctive and well-structured path for those who are.

bethanygu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate92.9%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying