Public · College

Chadron State College

Chadron, Nebraska · Remote town

#2 best value in Nebraska
Admit rate
$12,549
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$47,002
Median earnings

Chadron State College is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Chadron, Nebraska (remote town setting), enrolling 1,540 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,540 undergradsRemote townNCAA Division II with football · Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Chadron, Nebraska

Chadron is a city in and the county seat of Dawes County, Nebraska, United States, in the Great Plains region. In 1884 the town was formally established when the Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad was constructed through the area from Omaha, Nebraska, en route to Wyoming. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
599 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Chadron (CDR)

How Chadron State College compares

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 41% · #13 of 19 in Nebraska

First-year retention63%

Higher than 17%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,002

Higher than 30% · #20 of 21 in Nebraska

Average net price$12,549

Cheaper than 83% · #2 cheapest of 19 in Nebraska

Median debt at graduation$18,875

Lower than 81%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,540

Larger than 50%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,948students
  • Undergraduate1,54079%
  • Graduate40821%

Undergraduates by gender

1,540undergrads
  • Women89058%
  • Men65042%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White77%
  • Black3.0%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian0.6%
  • Other or multiracial8.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,540
Graduate enrollment
408
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
21%
Median family income
$44,642
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,575
Endowment
$31,219,078

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 322 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Nebraska50%
  • Other U.S. states49%
  • International1.2%

A regional draw: about 50% of first-years come from Nebraska, the rest from elsewhere.

1% 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,290
Room & board
$9,984
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$21,132
Average net price
$12,549

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)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
34%
First-year retention
63%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,139
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,002
Median debt at graduation
$18,875
Students with federal loans
50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
56%

About 16% 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
34%
Low-income (Pell)
35%
First-generation
34%

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
1,197
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
78%
Housing charge (year)
$4,710
Meal plan (year)
$4,990
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
486 (295 men · 191 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 (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)182
Football138
Wrestling55
Basketball32
Rodeo29
Volleyball23
Softball21
Golf6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
11
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,098 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.

5.3reported offenses a year
3.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.7
Burglary
1.7
Fondling
1.0

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
$10,047
$30–48k
$10,090
$48–75k
$12,561
$75–110k
$14,674
$110k+
$16,047

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
$56,254

$12,561/year × about 4.5 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.

87%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,762
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 87% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,762. 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 314 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)
$47,002
Typical debt at graduation
$18,875
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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
$43,892
Men
$52,179

Men out-earn women by $8,287 (19%) 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
89°F
Winter low
12°F
Annual rain
18.8″
Annual snow
50.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chadron 3SW, NE US station (2.7 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 Chadron State College

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

Colleges near Chadron State College

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.