Public · University

Emporia State University

Emporia, Kansas · Remote town

97.7%
Admit rate
$16,261
Avg net price
56%
Graduation rate
$47,601
Median earnings

Emporia State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Emporia, Kansas (remote town setting), enrolling 2,239 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,239 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 98% admitNCAA Division II with football · Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
97.7%
ACT (mid 50%)
18–24
Avg GPA (est.)
3.19

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

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

About Emporia, Kansas

Emporia is a city in, as well as the county seat, of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. Located on upland prairie, Emporia was founded in 1857, drawing its name from ancient Carthage, a place known in history as a prosperous center of commerce. Emporia has 14 structures on the National Register of Historic Places. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
80 miles to Wichita, KS
To Great Lakes shore
511 miles
Nearest airport
57 miles to Manhattan (MHK)

How Emporia State University compares

Selectivity97.7%

More selective than 8% · #22 most selective of 24 in Kansas

SAT average1120

Higher than 37%

Graduation rate56%

Higher than 53% · #7 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention77%

Higher than 52%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,601

Higher than 32% · #24 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$16,261

Cheaper than 67% · #7 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment2,239

Larger than 60%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,400students
  • Undergraduate2,23951%
  • Graduate2,16149%

Undergraduates by gender

2,239undergrads
  • Women1,40563%
  • Men83437%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White68%
  • Black4.4%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,239
Graduate enrollment
2,161
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
11%
Median family income
$51,017
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$62,262
Endowment
$103,733,299

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

Admissions

Admission rate
97.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1120
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
18–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.19

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,106
Out-of-state tuition
$15,419
Room & board
$10,950
Books & supplies
$1,243
Total cost of attendance
$21,967
Average net price
$16,261

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)
56%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,389
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,601
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
Students with federal loans
59%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
52%

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
41%
Low-income (Pell)
44%
First-generation
43%

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
933
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
42%
Housing charge (year)
$6,300
Meal plan (year)
$4,242
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
523 (340 men · 183 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 (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)215
Football129
Baseball42
Basketball35
Soccer27
Tennis21
Volleyball21
Softball19
Other Sports14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
7
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,557 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.

3.3reported offenses a year
2.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.7
Rape
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
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
$11,452
$30–48k
$11,905
$48–75k
$14,229
$75–110k
$18,994
$110k+
$19,531

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
$62,832

$14,229/year × about 4.4 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.

83%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,015
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 83% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,015. 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 534 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)
$47,601
Typical debt at graduation
$19,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
58%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 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
$44,619
Men
$52,124

Men out-earn women by $7,505 (17%) 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
88°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
35.8″
Annual snow
10.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Emporia 3 NW, KS US station (2.4 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 Emporia State University

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

Colleges near Emporia 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.