| Location: | Midwest |
| Setting: | Small Town Setting |
| Type: | Public |
| Size: | Medium (2,000 to 5,000 Undergrad) |
| Mascot: | Beavers |
Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public state university in Bemidji, Minnesota, USA, located on the shores of Lake Bemidji. It is a part of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). BSU was founded in 1919 as Bemidji State Normal School. The name was later changed to Bemidji State Teachers College, then shortened to Bemidji State College and finally Bemidji State University. During the 1998-1999 academic year, the University Board of Regents recommended changing the name of the university to Minnesota State University - Bemidji, just as Moorhead State University and Mankato State University had changed their names to Minnesota State University–Moorhead and Minnesota State University–Mankato, respectively. The board argued this would emphasize the fact that BSU was a Minnesota university and thus attract more students from both in-state (who would otherwise be unaware that it was located in Minnesota) and out-of-state (who saw Minnesota as a good state in which to attend university). Large vocal and written opposition from students, alumni, and local townspeople made the Board withdraw the recommendation. Current enrollment is about 4,900 students, with students from 44 US states and 40 countries.
Bemidji State University is becoming well-known for its programs and conferences in writing. It offers the only BFA in Professional and Creative Writing in the MnSCU system. The program includes a minor and certificates in Electronic Writing, consisting of courses in weblogs, wikis, web content writing, web design, digital rhetoric, and teaching writing with technology. It is also the site of the annual Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference.
For 16 years BSU has had a relationship with Liaoning University, a university in China. Each year a professor from Liaoning University goes to BSU to teach Chinese and each summer BSU students participate in "Sino-Summer", a month long visit to China with half of the time spent at Liaoning University and half touring other parts of China including Beijing, Xi'an and Guilin. Unfortunately, in 2007 for the first time in almost two decades, there is no group of BSU students going to China through the Sino-Summer program.
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| Percent of Students International: | 5% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 41% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | No |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) Basketball (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) Baseball (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) Track (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 6,016 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 5,246 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 770 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 1,715 | 67% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 1,744 | 42% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 1,752 | 42% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 4,225 | 69% | |
Any Aid: |
100% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 77% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 93% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 18, Verbal: 16, Math: 17 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 23, Verbal: 22, Math: 23 |
| Application Fee: | $ 20.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Not Required |
| High School GPA: | Not Required |
| High School Rank: | Required |
| High School Record: | Not Required |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
