Enrollment and Demographics

Bethel Seminary locations on the East and West Coasts are great multicultural influences on the institution.

Of the 5,707 Bethel University students who reported ethnicity in 2007-08, 11.5% were students of color or from outside the U.S. That percentage is up slightly from 11.3% in 2006-07.

The proportion of students of color varies by school, due in part to where Bethel has teaching locations. Bethel Seminary of the East, with classes meeting in New York City, central Massachusetts, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., reflects its ethnically diverse region with 54.0% students of color.

Bethel Seminary has teamed up with multicultural churches on the East Coast to host new teaching locations. One is First Baptist Church in Flushing, New York, a congregation with services in Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and English. Another is First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland, one of the fastest-growing African American churches in the U.S. under the leadership of Rev. John K. Jenkins, Sr.

Across the country in California, at Bethel Seminary San Diego, 33.5% are students of color. This diverse group is comprised of Filipinos, Vietnamese, Chinese, African-Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics. The seminary has a close working relationship with the Chinese Bible Church of San Diego, and St. Stephen’s Church of God in Christ, led by Bishop George McKinney, a leading African-American pastor on the West coast.

In Minnesota, where the general population is less diverse, non-white students make up 15.7% percent in the College of Adult & Professional Studies, and 9.1% in the Graduate School. The largest group in both schools is African-American. In the traditional undergraduate college, the College of Arts & Sciences, 6.8% are students of color, with the largest group being Asian.

Bethel is working diligently to attract more minority high school graduates in Minnesota. Targeted, need-based financial aid programs have been designed; a multicultural admissions director is connecting with communities of color in innovative ways, and an inspiring workshop titled The Climb enables students of color and those from low-income families to explore the resources available to make college possible.