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.

PublicLarge · 41,254 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 69% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Conference USACold winters

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

Selectivity69.2%

More selective than 65% · #22 most selective of 46 in Georgia

SAT average1113

Higher than 34%

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 45% · #15 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention77%

Higher than 51%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,552

Higher than 61% · #8 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$15,048

Cheaper than 73% · #18 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$23,833

Lower than 46%

Student–faculty ratio23 : 1

Lower than 5%

Undergraduate enrollment41,254

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

46,258students
  • Undergraduate41,25489%
  • Graduate5,00411%

Undergraduates by gender

41,254undergrads
  • 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)

All students
24%
Low-income (Pell)
37%
First-generation
37%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)279
Football120
Baseball40
Lacrosse34
Soccer34
Basketball27
Softball25
Golf16
Tennis16
Volleyball12

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.

31reported offenses a year
20 violent a year11 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
9.7
Fondling
8.7
Burglary
6.3
Motor vehicle theft
4.7
Aggravated assault
1.0
Robbery
0.7
Murder
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
$12,235
$30–48k
$12,661
$48–75k
$15,185
$75–110k
$18,263
$110k+
$19,309

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
$72,940

$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.

8%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,619
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$51,062
Men
$66,470

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dallas 7 NE, GA US station (10 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 Kennesaw State University

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

Colleges near Kennesaw 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.