Public · University

Athens State University

Athens, Alabama · Fringe town

Admit rate
Avg net price
Graduation rate
$50,273
Median earnings

Athens State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Athens, Alabama (fringe town setting), enrolling 2,446 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,446 undergradsFringe town

About Athens, Alabama

Athens is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, in the U.S. state of Alabama; it is included in the Huntsville–Decatur–Albertville combined statistical area. Founded in 1818 by John Coffee, Robert Beaty, John D. Carroll, and John Read, Athens is one of the oldest incorporated cities in the state, having been incorporated one year prior to the state's admittance to the Union in 1819. Athens was the primary filming location of Brittany Howard's "Stay High" music video. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
288 miles
Nearest airport
16 miles to Huntsville (HSV)

How Athens State University compares

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,273

Higher than 39% · #9 of 30 in Alabama

Median debt at graduation$18,051

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment2,446

Larger than 63%

Percentiles compare Athens State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Alabama.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,897students
  • Undergraduate2,44684%
  • Graduate45116%

Undergraduates by gender

2,446undergrads
  • Women1,72571%
  • Men72129%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White74%
  • Black14%
  • Hispanic5.8%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial6.0%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,446
Graduate enrollment
451
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
43%
First-generation students
48%
Students over 25
56%
Median family income
$29,646
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$86,994
Endowment
$7,026,759

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Outcomes

Graduated
First-year retention
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,266
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,273
Median debt at graduation
$18,051
Students with federal loans
41%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
52%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$30

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,986 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$50,273
Typical debt at graduation
$18,051
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$45,651
Men
$60,260

Men out-earn women by $14,609 (32%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
90°F
Winter low
34°F
Annual rain
59.1″
Annual snow
1.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.16.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Athens, AL US station (2.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Athens State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Athens State University side by side →

Colleges near Athens State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.