Public · University

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas · Small city

#2 graduation rate in Kansas#5 for grad earnings in Kansas
81.7%
Admit rate
$19,406
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$57,262
Median earnings

Kansas State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Manhattan, Kansas (small city setting), enrolling 15,142 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 15,142 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 82% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Big Twelve ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
81.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1060–1260
Avg GPA
3.86

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

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

About Manhattan, Kansas

Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. Before settlement by European-Americans in the 1850s, the land around Manhattan was home to Native tribes. From 1780 to 1830, it was home to the Kaw people, also known as the Kansa. Aggieville is a center of shopping and nightlife with many stores, bars, and live bands. Downtown Manhattan, and the Manhattan Town Center Mall, are an anchor for shopping, art, fine dining, and entertainment in eastern Manhattan. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
505 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Manhattan (MHK)

How Kansas State University compares

Selectivity81.7%

More selective than 42% · #13 most selective of 24 in Kansas

SAT average1151

Higher than 47%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 80% · #2 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention86%

Higher than 77%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,262

Higher than 60% · #5 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$19,406

Cheaper than 53% · #9 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$21,250

Lower than 65%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment15,142

Larger than 93%

Percentiles compare Kansas 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

19,787students
  • Undergraduate15,14277%
  • Graduate4,64523%

Undergraduates by gender

15,142undergrads
  • Women7,88752%
  • Men7,25548%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White79%
  • Black2.9%
  • Hispanic9.7%
  • Asian1.9%
  • Other or multiracial6.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
15,142
Graduate enrollment
4,645
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
22%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$67,000
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$97,677
Endowment
$1,019,065,645

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 3,187 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas72%
  • Other U.S. states27%
  • International1.0%

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

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
81.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1060–1260
SAT average
1151
SAT reading
550–640
SAT math
510–620
ACT composite
20–27
Average GPA
3.86

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,221
Out-of-state tuition
$28,568
Room & board
$12,830
Books & supplies
$1,020
Total cost of attendance
$27,402
Average net price
$19,406

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)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
49%
First-year retention
86%
Transferred to another college
17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$49,330
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,262
Median debt at graduation
$21,250
Students with federal loans
36%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
64%

About 22% 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
49%
Low-income (Pell)
51%
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
5,696
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$5,660
Meal plan (year)
$5,140
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Big Twelve Conference
Varsity athletes
533 (266 men · 267 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)154
Football125
Rowing83
Basketball47
Baseball43
Soccer35
Golf19
Volleyball19
Tennis8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
51
Property offenses (2022–2024)
25

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (20,295 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.

25reported offenses a year
17 violent a year8.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
11
Burglary
6.3
Fondling
5.3
Motor vehicle theft
2.0
Aggravated assault
0.7

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
$13,178
$30–48k
$14,143
$48–75k
$15,369
$75–110k
$20,110
$110k+
$23,665

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
$68,478

$15,369/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.

88%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,131
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 88% — get grant money from Kansas State University itself, averaging $8,131, which softens the sticker price.

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 2,839 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)
$57,262
Typical debt at graduation
$21,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
71%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$50,142
Men
$64,400

Men out-earn women by $14,258 (28%) 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
19°F
Annual rain
35.8″
Annual snow
17.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Manhattan, KS US station (0.6 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 Kansas State University

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

Colleges near Kansas 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.