Public · University

Eastern Connecticut State University

Willimantic, Connecticut · Fringe town

83.0%
Admit rate
$21,067
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$56,469
Median earnings

Eastern Connecticut State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Willimantic, Connecticut (fringe town setting), enrolling 3,418 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 3,418 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 83% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Eastern Connecticut State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
83.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1070–1260
Avg GPA (est.)
3.33

Enter a test score to see where you land against Eastern Connecticut State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Eastern Connecticut State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Willimantic, Connecticut

Willimantic is a census-designated place located in Windham, Connecticut, United States. Willimantic is named for the Willimantic River which passes through it. The word was first attested in English writing as Waramanticut in 1684, and later as Wallamanticuk, Wewemantic and Weammantuck before being standardized as Willimantic. Willimantic holds a Boom Box Parade every 4 July where, instead of a marching band performing, residents bring boom boxes tuned to WILI, the local AM radio station. The tradition started on Memorial Day of 1986, when no marching band was available for a parade. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
24 miles to Hartford, CT
To the ocean
26 miles
Nearest airport
28 miles to Bradley (BDL) · major hub

How Eastern Connecticut State University compares

Selectivity83.0%

More selective than 39% · #14 most selective of 24 in Connecticut

SAT average1160

Higher than 48%

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 56% · #16 of 26 in Connecticut

First-year retention84%

Higher than 73%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$56,469

Higher than 58% · #20 of 25 in Connecticut

Average net price$21,067

Cheaper than 45% · #10 cheapest of 26 in Connecticut

Median debt at graduation$24,250

Lower than 43%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment3,418

Larger than 72%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,599students
  • Undergraduate3,41895%
  • Graduate1815%

Undergraduates by gender

3,418undergrads
  • Women1,98758%
  • Men1,43142%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black8.9%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian2.3%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,418
Graduate enrollment
181
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
29%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$61,960
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$100,890
Endowment
$20,588,771

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 614 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Connecticut89%
  • Other U.S. states11%

Most first-years stay in state — Eastern Connecticut State University draws overwhelmingly from Connecticut.

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
83.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1070–1260
SAT average
1160
SAT reading
540–650
SAT math
530–610
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
3.33

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,928
Out-of-state tuition
$17,428
Room & board
$17,445
Books & supplies
$675
Total cost of attendance
$31,983
Average net price
$21,067

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)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
46%
First-year retention
84%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,289
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$56,469
Median debt at graduation
$24,250
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
65%

About 12% 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
46%
Low-income (Pell)
50%
First-generation
51%

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
2,385
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
70%
Housing charge (year)
$10,320
Meal plan (year)
$6,666
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
453 (236 men · 217 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)150
Lacrosse58
Soccer57
Swimming44
Baseball40
Basketball35
Field Hockey21
Softball19
Volleyball16
Golf13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
19
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,355 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.

7.7reported offenses a year
6.3 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
3.0
Fondling
3.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Robbery
0.3
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
$17,654
$30–48k
$16,943
$48–75k
$19,340
$75–110k
$21,109
$110k+
$24,346

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
$83,246

$19,340/year × about 4.3 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.

92%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,243
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 92% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,243. 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 712 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)
$56,469
Typical debt at graduation
$24,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 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
$54,033
Men
$61,430

Men out-earn women by $7,397 (14%) 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
18°F
Annual rain
43.2″
Annual snow
39″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Willimantic Windham AP, CT 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 Eastern Connecticut State University

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

Colleges near Eastern Connecticut 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.