Public · University
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, Georgia · Large suburb
- 69.2%
- Admit rate
- $15,048
- Avg net price
- 52%
- Graduation rate
- $57,552
- Median earnings
Kennesaw State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Kennesaw, Georgia (large suburb setting), enrolling 41,254 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Kennesaw State University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 69.2%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1000–1220
- Avg GPA
- 3.48
Enter a test score to see where you land against Kennesaw State University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Kennesaw State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Kennesaw, Georgia
Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. As the Western and Atlantic Railroad was being built in the late 1830s, shanty towns arose to house the workers. These were near a big spring. A grade up from the Etowah River became known as "the big grade to the shanties", then "Big Shanty Grade", and finally "Big Shanty". About 8.2% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 23 miles to Atlanta, GA
- To the ocean
- 239 miles
- Nearest airport
- 20 miles to DeKalb Peachtree (PDK)
How Kennesaw State University compares
More selective than 65% · #22 most selective of 46 in Georgia
Higher than 34%
Higher than 45% · #15 of 54 in Georgia
Higher than 51%
Higher than 61% · #8 of 54 in Georgia
Cheaper than 73% · #18 cheapest of 54 in Georgia
Lower than 46%
Lower than 5%
Larger than 99%
Percentiles compare Kennesaw State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Georgia.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate41,25489%
- Graduate5,00411%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women19,55947%
- Men21,69553%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White39%
- Black28%
- Hispanic17%
- Asian6.0%
- Other or multiracial9.6%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 41,254
- Graduate enrollment
- 5,004
- Student–faculty ratio
- 23 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 38%
- First-generation students
- 27%
- Students over 25
- 12%
- Median family income
- $43,182
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $87,399
- Endowment
- $124,042,454
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 8,234 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Georgia96%
- Other U.S. states2.1%
- International2.0%
Most first-years stay in state — Kennesaw State University draws overwhelmingly from Georgia.
2% 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
- 69.2%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1000–1220
- SAT average
- 1113
- SAT reading
- 510–620
- SAT math
- 490–600
- ACT composite
- 19–26
- Average GPA
- 3.48
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $5,808
- Out-of-state tuition
- $17,736
- Room & board
- $13,287
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $24,008
- Average net price
- $15,048
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)
- 52%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 24%
- First-year retention
- 77%
- Transferred to another college
- 27%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $47,863
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $57,552
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,833
- Students with federal loans
- 33%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 47%
About 28% 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)
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
- 5,912
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 14%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,480
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,547
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FCS
- Football conference
- Conference USA
- Varsity athletes
- 603 (301 men · 302 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)
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)
- 61
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 33
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (47,764 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$15,185/year × about 4.8 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.
Modest institutional aid: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,619. 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 6,669 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)
- $57,552
- Typical debt at graduation
- $23,833
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 41%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 65%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $15,408 (30%) 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
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 31°F
- Annual rain
- 54.3″
- Annual snow
- 3.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dallas 7 NE, GA US station (10 mi from campus).
What Kennesaw State University graduates study — and earn
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 Kennesaw State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Kennesaw State University side by side →
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas · Midsize city · 33 mi to Fort Worth
- Students
- 34,341
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1109
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $57k
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus
Stillwater, Oklahoma · Distant town · 52 mi to Oklahoma City
- Students
- 21,773
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $57k
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas · Large city · 13 mi to Fort Worth
- Students
- 32,294
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1124
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $63k
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas · Midsize city · 1 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 28,677
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1169
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $58k
University of Nevada-Reno
Reno, Nevada · Large city · 1 mi to Reno
- Students
- 15,599
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1132
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $61k
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, Florida · Large suburb · 14 mi to Fort Myers
- Students
- 13,874
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1114
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $55k
Colleges near Kennesaw State University
Empire Beauty School-Kennesaw
Kennesaw, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 161 students
Chattahoochee Technical College
Marietta, GA · Public · Certificate · 8,727 students
Life University
Marietta, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 893 students
Gwinnett College-Marietta Campus
Marietta, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 205 students
Fortis College-Smyrna
Smyrna, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 607 students
Lincoln College of Technology-Marietta
Marietta, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 538 students
International School of Skin Nailcare & Massage Therapy
Sandy Springs, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 246 students
Gwinnett College
Roswell, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 94 students
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.












