Public · University

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville, North Carolina · Midsize city

#2 best value in North Carolina
82.2%
Admit rate
$7,892
Avg net price
38%
Graduation rate
$40,144
Median earnings

Fayetteville State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Fayetteville, North Carolina (midsize city setting), enrolling 5,762 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 5,762 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 82% admitNCAA Division II with football · Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
82.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
890–1090
Avg GPA (est.)
2.79

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

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

About Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. Merchants in Wilmington, wanted a town on the Cape Fear River to secure trade with the frontier country. They were afraid people would use the Pee Dee River and transport their goods to Charleston, South Carolina. The merchants bought land from Newberry in Cross Creek. An October 2023 study released by Americans for the Arts, found that nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Fayetteville and Cumberland County created $72.2 million in total economic activity in 2022, supported over 1100 jobs, provided $44.1 million in personal income to residents and generated $9.5 million in local, state and federal tax revenue. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
51 miles to Raleigh, NC
To the ocean
81 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Fayetteville Regional Airport - Grannis Field (FAY)

How Fayetteville State University compares

Selectivity82.2%

More selective than 41% · #40 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average959

Higher than 4%

Graduation rate38%

Higher than 20% · #44 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention75%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,144

Higher than 14% · #43 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$7,892

Cheaper than 95% · #2 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$22,987

Lower than 54%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment5,762

Larger than 80%

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

Fayetteville State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

6,795students
  • Undergraduate5,76285%
  • Graduate1,03315%

Undergraduates by gender

5,762undergrads
  • Women4,02470%
  • Men1,73830%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White14%
  • Black64%
  • Hispanic9.8%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,762
Graduate enrollment
1,033
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
57%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
38%
Median family income
$23,815
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$84,789
Endowment
$34,914,792

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 807 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina78%
  • Other U.S. states21%
  • International1.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Fayetteville State University draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

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.

Admissions

Admission rate
82.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
890–1090
SAT average
959
SAT reading
460–550
SAT math
430–540
ACT composite
15–19
Average GPA (estimated)
2.79

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,353
Out-of-state tuition
$8,353
Room & board
$11,449
Books & supplies
$372
Total cost of attendance
$16,652
Average net price
$7,892

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)
38%
Graduated on time (4 years)
24%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
29%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,831
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,144
Median debt at graduation
$22,987
Students with federal loans
46%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
21%

About 15% 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
24%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
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
1,485
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
26%
Housing charge (year)
$4,513
Meal plan (year)
$4,407
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
237 (100 men · 137 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)

Football75
Track and Field (Indoor)35
Track and Field (Outdoor)35
Basketball28
Softball19
Volleyball18
Cross Country14
Bowling7
Golf6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
30
Property offenses (2022–2024)
18

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (7,107 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.

16reported offenses a year
10 violent a year6.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
5.3
Fondling
3.7
Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Burglary
2.7
Robbery
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3
Arson
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
$6,233
$30–48k
$6,908
$48–75k
$8,983
$75–110k
$13,354
$110k+
$14,112

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
$41,093

$8,983/year × about 4.6 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.

63%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,380
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 63% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,380. 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 762 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)
$40,144
Typical debt at graduation
$22,987
Debt vs. one year's pay
57%
Out-earn a HS grad
42%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.7 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
$39,411
Men
$41,912

Men out-earn women by $2,501 (6%) 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
91°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
47.9″
Annual snow
1.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Fayetteville (Pwc), NC US station (2.1 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 Fayetteville State University

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

Colleges near Fayetteville 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.