Public · University

Central State University

Wilberforce, Ohio · Fringe rural

98.6%
Admit rate
$13,096
Avg net price
23%
Graduation rate
$33,267
Median earnings

Central State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Wilberforce, Ohio (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,620 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 2,620 undergradsFringe ruralAccessible · 99% admitNCAA Division II with football · Southern Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Wilberforce, Ohio

Wilberforce is a census-designated place in Greene County, Ohio, United States. After Wilberforce University was established in 1856, the community was also named for the English statesman William Wilberforce, who worked for the abolition of slavery and achieved the end of the slave trade in the United Kingdom and its empire. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
17 miles to Dayton, OH
To Great Lakes shore
128 miles
Nearest airport
22 miles to James M. Cox Dayton (DAY)

How Central State University compares

Selectivity98.6%

More selective than 6% · #62 most selective of 65 in Ohio

Graduation rate23%

Higher than 7% · #66 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention56%

Higher than 10%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$33,267

Higher than 5% · #72 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$13,096

Cheaper than 81% · #13 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$30,739

Lower than 4%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment2,620

Larger than 65%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,663students
  • Undergraduate2,62098%
  • Graduate432%

Undergraduates by gender

2,620undergrads
  • Women1,44055%
  • Men1,18045%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White9.9%
  • Black58%
  • Hispanic4.8%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial27%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,620
Graduate enrollment
43
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
53%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
49%
Median family income
$22,476
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$69,282
Endowment
$1,859,458

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 574 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Ohio47%
  • Other U.S. states44%
  • International9.1%

A regional draw: about 47% of first-years come from Ohio, the rest from elsewhere.

9% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
98.6%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,058
Out-of-state tuition
$10,058
Room & board
$12,026
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$21,929
Average net price
$13,096

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
23%
Graduated on time (4 years)
13%
First-year retention
56%
Transferred to another college
34%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$27,173
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$33,267
Median debt at graduation
$30,739
Students with federal loans
42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
9%

About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
13%
Low-income (Pell)
22%
First-generation
21%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,437
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
55%
Housing charge (year)
$6,086
Meal plan (year)
$5,304
Application fee
$35
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
349 (246 men · 103 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (5)

Football132
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)127
Volleyball43
Basketball35
Golf12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
7
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,708 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.

2.7reported offenses a year
2.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.0
Rape
0.7
Robbery
0.7
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.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$19,581
$30–48k
$7,161
$48–75k
$8,773
$75–110k
$10,343
$110k+
$10,187

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$40,867

$8,773/year × about 4.7 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

41%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,179
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 41% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,179. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 545 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

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

Median earnings (10 years)
$33,267
Typical debt at graduation
$30,739
Debt vs. one year's pay
92%
Out-earn a HS grad
33%

Typical debt would take roughly 9.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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
$32,548
Men
$33,850

Men out-earn women by $1,302 (4%) 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
83°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
43.3″
Annual snow
20.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Xenia 6 Sse, OH US station (7.8 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 Central State University

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

Colleges near Central 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.