Bethune-Cookman University

Private · Moderately Selective · FL

Photo: 2C2KPhotography (CC BY 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationFL · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads2,732

Student:faculty17:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate16.1%

6-yr grad rate30.5%

Drop-out rate38.2%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$15k

Out-of-state tuition$15k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity99.8%

Gender diversity62.5%

International1.9%

IdentityHBCU · United Methodist

Overview

Bethune-Cookman University is a private historically Black university in Daytona Beach, Florida, founded in 1904 by civil rights pioneer and educator Mary McLeod Bethune, who by her own account started the school with $1.50, five students, and a rented cottage. That founding story remains central to the university's identity and self-presentation. B-CU is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, and it combines HBCU tradition with a beachside Florida location that gives it a different feel from HBCUs in more traditionally Southern inland settings.

Academics

Nursing, business, and education are the university's core professional programs, consistent with its historic mission of training Black teachers, nurses, and professionals in the Jim Crow-era South and beyond. Programs remain applied and career-oriented rather than research-focused, in keeping with the university's teaching-first identity.

Campus & student life

The Marching Wildcats band is the signature cultural institution on campus, drawing the kind of devotion and attention typical of elite HBCU marching band programs, with performances that function as a major campus and community event in their own right. Daytona Beach's coastal location and the university's Methodist affiliation both shape a campus culture distinct from HBCUs set in more traditional inland Southern towns.

Worth knowing

The founding story — Mary McLeod Bethune building the school from almost nothing into a lasting institution — is not just historical trivia but a living part of campus identity, referenced constantly in campus culture, naming, and tradition.

cookman.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate88.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 830–990

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying