Public · College
Peru State College
Peru, Nebraska · Remote rural
- —
- Admit rate
- $11,632
- Avg net price
- 38%
- Graduation rate
- $47,071
- Median earnings
Peru State College is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Peru, Nebraska (remote rural setting), enrolling 1,092 undergraduates.
About Peru, Nebraska
Peru is a city in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The first attempt to settle the community took place in 1853, by some residents of Peru, Illinois. However, troops from Fort Kearny forced them to leave because Nebraska Territory belonged to the Otoe tribe. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote rural
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 55 miles to Omaha, NE
- To Great Lakes shore
- 428 miles
- Nearest airport
- 58 miles to Eppley Airfield (OMA) · major hub
How Peru State College compares
Higher than 19% · #18 of 19 in Nebraska
Higher than 19%
Higher than 30% · #19 of 21 in Nebraska
Cheaper than 86% · #1 cheapest of 19 in Nebraska
Lower than 60%
Lower than 23%
Larger than 40%
Percentiles compare Peru State College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Nebraska.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,09286%
- Graduate18414%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women59054%
- Men50246%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black14%
- Hispanic9.8%
- Other or multiracial9.0%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,092
- Graduate enrollment
- 184
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 37%
- First-generation students
- 42%
- Students over 25
- 22%
- Median family income
- $40,242
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $73,629
- Endowment
- $22,113,290
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $8,640
- Room & board
- $10,464
- Books & supplies
- $960
- Total cost of attendance
- $22,240
- Average net price
- $11,632
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)
- 23%
- First-year retention
- 64%
- Transferred to another college
- 33%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $39,150
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $47,071
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,875
- Students with federal loans
- 44%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 48%
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)
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
- 566
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 52%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,108
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,908
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NAIA Division II
- Football conference
- Heart of America Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 432 (287 men · 145 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)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 8
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 9
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,492 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.
$12,845/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.
Modest institutional aid: 84% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,072. 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 220 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)
- $47,071
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,875
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 46%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 60%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 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 $5,667 (13%) 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
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 14°F
- Annual rain
- 32.3″
- Annual snow
- 30.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Auburn 5 Ese, NE US station (7.2 mi from campus).
What Peru State College 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 Peru State College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Peru State College side by side →
Wright State University-Lake Campus
Celina, Ohio · Fringe rural · 49 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 892
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $50k
Lake Superior State University
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan · Remote town · 223 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 1,325
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $49k
Chadron State College
Chadron, Nebraska · Remote town · 88 mi to Rapid City
- Students
- 1,540
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
Mayville State University
Mayville, North Dakota · Remote rural · 50 mi to Fargo
- Students
- 733
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $48k
Mississippi University for Women
Columbus, Mississippi · Remote town · 93 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 1,605
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $46k
Adams State University
Alamosa, Colorado · Remote town · 110 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 1,250
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $44k
Colleges near Peru State College
Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO · Public · Bachelor's · 4,378 students
Bellevue University
Bellevue, NE · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 10,220 students
Highland Community College
Highland, KS · Public · Certificate · 1,279 students
Southeast Community College Area
Lincoln, NE · Public · Certificate · 6,773 students
Myotherapy Institute
Lincoln, NE · Private for-profit · Associate · 12 students
Entourage Institute of Beauty and Esthetics
Lincoln, NE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 99 students
Joseph's College Cosmetology
Lincoln, NE · Private for-profit · Certificate · 92 students
Union Adventist University
Lincoln, NE · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 471 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.











