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Get to Know the Class of 2017

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Here are some interesting facts about new undergraduate students at Bethel University from the Office of Admissions.

The numbers:

  • There are 660 students in the class, almost identical to the 658 who enrolled last fall.
  • The class includes about 85 Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) students, who are concurrent high school seniors.
  • Students of color make up about 11% of the incoming class.
  • Students come from 25 states and several countries, including Canada, Japan, Nigeria, Germany, Singapore, and Guatemala.
  • 77% of students are from Minnesota. The next five states sending the highest number of new Bethel students include Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, and Colorado.
  • 18% of students are from independent, nondenominational, or interdenominational churches, with another 14% from Lutheran churches.

The academics:

  • “Undecided” is the most popular major selected by more than 17% of the class, followed by nursing, business/economics, elementary education, biology, engineering/physics, psychology, biokinetics, communication studies, and athletic training.
  • There are 43 valedictorians and salutatorians in the freshman class.
  • One entering freshman had a perfect college entrance test.
  • The average ACT score was about 25.2, the second-highest-scoring freshman class in Bethel's history.
  • Approximately 75% of incoming students received academic scholarships.
  • 98% of entering freshmen received a financial aid package.

The fun facts:

  • 4% of the class is either a Johnson or an Anderson.
  • Kathryn is the most popular female first name (17) and Daniel is the most popular male first name (11).
  • The new student population is 63% female and 37% male, continuing the trend of more females than males that began in 1965.
  • Incoming students engaged the world on missions trips abroad in Ecuador, Zambia, Syria, Russia, Lithuania, Liberia, China, Egypt, Italy, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Guatemala, the Czech Republic, Kenya, India, Honduras, South Africa, Singapore, Tanzania, South Korea, Guam, Haiti, Madagascar, Canada, Manila, and Belize.