[5][6] Its main campus is situated on about 290 acres on the east side of Lake Valentine just south of Interstate 694.

[7][8] Edgren was a former mariner and Civil War veteran originally from Ostana, Sweden, and founded the school as a place for Swedish Baptists to enter the ministry.

[10] The seminary merged with Bethel Academy and relocated its campus to Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Through its graduate school, Bethel offers ten master's degrees, including a physician assistant program, as well as a doctorate in educational leadership.

[18] The fourth, Nelson Hall, is the largest of the freshman residences, and located nearby on the north side of the academic buildings.

Students enrolling after Fall 2019 must be 21 years of age prior to September 1 to live off-campus with the exception of those who commute from their parents' home.

[22] Benson Hall has hosted a variety of events in the past, providing a venue for Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra,[23] a location for high school graduations, and the 2018 Super Bowl Gospel Celebration.

A morning prayer chapel service is offered each class day, as well as vespers on Sunday evenings, but attendance is no longer mandatory.

The Covenant is a lifestyle agreement that focuses on living a life of faith and personal morality.

The Covenant emphasizes a respect for all persons and ethnic traditions and requires students to refrain from any sort of extramarital sex, homosexuality, pornography, gambling, illegal drugs, and tobacco in any form.

Alcohol consumption by full-time students in the College of Arts and Sciences is still prohibited during the academic year.

[27] Bethel University has a student news publication, The Clarion, which is printed during the school year and distributed on campus as well as online.