Bethany Lutheran College is a Christian coeducational college founded in 1927 and operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The school is classified as a private, residential, not-for-profit liberal arts college.
The campus of Bethany Lutheran overlooks the Minnesota River valley in Mankato, Minnesota, a community of about 40,000. Its state-of-the-art facilities have all been built or renovated in the past 15 years.
Bethany Lutheran provides studies culminating in a bachelor of arts degree. The most common major fields study at the college include science, media/communications, education, business, and fine arts.
Bethany Lutheran is not thought of as a commuter school, and dorm living is common. Bethany Lutheran offers campus housing for the majority of its 550 full-time students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.
One indicator of school quality is the number of students per professor, and Bethany Lutheran does extremely well in comparison to most schools. Bethany features a 12:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
Athletic teams at Bethany Lutheran belong to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference for major sports. Student athletes can receive financial aid in some cases.
Bethany Lutheran College is committed to the teachings of the Bible as set forth in the Lutheran Confessions. A Christian perspective permeates the entire campus including the chapel, classroom, residence halls, and extra-curricular areas.
According to its mission, “The college serves Lutherans and others by offering a challenging, student-centered approach to education that fosters spiritual development, intellectual and creative growth, self-understanding, and responsible citizenship. In keeping with its heritage, Bethany aspires to produce students with a clear understanding of Christian vocation, which calls people to make the most of their God-given talents in whatever walk of life they pursue.”
The college reports that “home school students excel at Bethany because our educational environment matches their academic, social, and spiritual needs.”
Bethany Lutheran College uses the same process for admissions and scholarships with home school students as it does for students attending public or private high school. On the application, home school students simply indicate “home school” when asked for high school attended.
Home school applicants may provide one of the following: 1) a transcript listing the course name and grade received; 2) a portfolio including a list of classes and reading materials; 3) a letter of academic appraisal providing evidence of academic ability.
Homeschool mom Kathy Kasten told us that her daughter has just been accepted to Bethany for the Fall of 2009. “They accept portfolios and encourage homeschool students,” says Kathy. “I believe 2 of the past 3 or 4 year full-ride scholarship recipients have been homeschooled. I recommend you contact Dean Westphal.” Thanks for the tip, Kathy!
If you have any questions about home school admissions, please contact Don Westphal, Bethany’s Dean of Admissions. To learn more about Bethany Lutheran College, visit their website: http://www.blc.edu