Bethel University
Legal name: Bethel University Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 350935587
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Mishawaka, IN, US
- Phone
- 800.422.4101
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Undergraduate College (4-year)
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $41,972,799
- Expenses
- $44,609,229
- Assets
- $46,093,957
- Liabilities
- $17,693,364
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
26 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BARBARA BELLEFEUILLE (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- BARBARA BELLEFEUILLE (PRESIDENT): $271,963 total reported compensation
- Pamela Campbell (CFO, VP for Administration and Finance): $141,496 total reported compensation
- BRENT LAVIGNE (VP INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT): $126,571 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Bethel University is a private, Christian university located in Mishawaka, Indiana. We offer over 120 degree programs, including bachelor’s, associate’s, minor, pre-professional and graduate programs. Our community is dedicated to guiding students on their academic journey while building relationships that last a lifetime.
What it reported doing in 2024
Bethel university provided educational services to approximately 1,200 students during the 2024/2025 academic year. This includes over fifty (50) academic programs, awarding both graduate and undergraduate degrees.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 90% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 59% for direct work, and 41% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 85
- Transparency & Controls: 88
- Accountability: 97
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 94.5%; rating input score 95
- Program expense ratio: 88.6%; rating input score 89
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 95%; rating input score 95; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -6.3%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.03; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.38; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.9%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 94.5% of revenue deployed · 88.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 19 of 20 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $39.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $272K · 26 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3M reported
- Consistency: 46 of 46 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 14/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.