,·Private (Mennonite Church USA-affiliated) Liberal Arts College·Est. 1887
“The oldest Mennonite college in North America — a small Anabaptist liberal arts community grounded in peace, music, and service.”
Bethel College is the oldest Mennonite college in North America, chartered in 1887 by Mennonite immigrants who had recently settled the central Kansas plains and opened to students in 1893. Affiliated with Mennonite Church USA, the college sits on a quiet 90-acre campus in North Newton — a town that literally grew up around the school in the heart of Kansas's Mennonite cultural region. With roughly 500 undergraduates, virtually all of whom live on or near campus, Bethel is unmistakably small, residential, and tight-knit; faculty know students by name, and most courses are taught in seminar-sized rooms rather than lecture halls. What distinguishes Bethel academically is the way its Anabaptist heritage shapes the curriculum. Peace, justice and conflict studies is a flagship interdisciplinary program, anchored by the campus-based Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR), which has trained mediators and run reconciliation programs across Kansas for more than three decades. The music department — descended from the college's founding faculty — fields nationally regarded choral and instrumental ensembles and is a major draw for prospective students. Other strong areas include nursing (BSN), social work, biology, biochemistry & molecular biology, software development, history, and education. The Kauffman Museum on campus, with its standing exhibit on the 1870s Mennonite migration from Russia to the Plains, doubles as both a regional cultural institution and a teaching laboratory for students. Student life centers on the residential community, NAIA athletics in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (the Threshers), and the beloved Fall Festival — a 35+ year tradition that draws thousands of alumni back for traditional Mennonite foods, three stages of music, theater, and a Peace Fair. While Mennonite students remain Bethel's largest single denomination, more than two-thirds of current students come from other backgrounds, including a small but consistent international cohort drawn by the college's ethic of hospitality, peace, and service.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceFall Term Suggested Deadline
Suggested submission date for fall enrollment; rolling admissions otherwise.
Spring Term Suggested Deadline
Suggested submission date for spring start.
Nursing Priority Deadline
Priority consideration for the BSN program.
Nursing Final Deadline
Final BSN application deadline.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$36,056
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Houses biology, chemistry, biochemistry & molecular biology, mathematics, physics, computer science and the newer software development major. Strong pre-health pipeline (med, PA, PT, dental).
Accredited four-year BSN program with selective entry (priority deadline December 1) requiring the Nursing Pre-Admissions Test, references and an interview. Small cohorts and a clinical network across south-central Kansas.
Home of the peace, justice & conflict studies program, plus social work, history, psychology and political science. Closely tied to KIPCOR for hands-on mediation and reconciliation work.
A founding-era department: music (vocal and instrumental ensembles, choral leadership), art, and theater. The Kauffman Museum supports applied learning in art history and material culture.
State-accredited teacher preparation programs across elementary and secondary licensure tracks, with strong placement in Kansas school districts.
4 years
An interdisciplinary major (also offered as a minor) rooted in Bethel's Anabaptist heritage and paired with hands-on training through the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR). Students can earn a Conflict Resolution Certificate alongside the degree and combine the program with any other major.
4 years
One of Bethel's signature programs since its founding faculty in the 1890s. Choral and instrumental ensembles travel and tour, and the department serves both performance majors and students from across the campus who participate in groups.
4 years
Accredited four-year nursing degree with selective second-year entry. Small clinical cohorts, regional placements with Kansas hospitals, and a strong NCLEX-RN pass record.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $35,014
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
