Public · University

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas · Distant town

89.4%
Admit rate
$15,784
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$50,579
Median earnings

Pittsburg State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Pittsburg, Kansas (distant town setting), enrolling 4,210 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,210 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 89% admitNCAA Division II with football · Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
89.4%
ACT (mid 50%)
17–24
Avg GPA (est.)
3.02

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

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

About Pittsburg, Kansas

Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States, located in southeast Kansas near the Missouri state border. On October 23, 1864, a wagon train of refugees had come from Fort Smith, Arkansas, and was escorted by troops from the 6th Kansas Cavalry under the command of Col. William Campbell. These were local men from Cherokee, Crawford, and Bourbon counties. Little Balkans Days is a three-day festival celebrating the community's European ethnic heritage, held on the Labor Day weekend. It features games, entertainment, competitions, and arts and crafts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
486 miles
Nearest airport
20 miles to Joplin (JLN)

How Pittsburg State University compares

Selectivity89.4%

More selective than 25% · #16 most selective of 24 in Kansas

SAT average1050

Higher than 16%

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 53% · #6 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention77%

Higher than 53%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,579

Higher than 40% · #18 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$15,784

Cheaper than 69% · #6 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$18,969

Lower than 80%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment4,210

Larger than 75%

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

Pittsburg State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,493students
  • Undergraduate4,21077%
  • Graduate1,28323%

Undergraduates by gender

4,210undergrads
  • Women2,15651%
  • Men2,05449%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White78%
  • Black3.2%
  • Hispanic8.0%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,210
Graduate enrollment
1,283
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
32%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$49,467
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,170
Endowment
$110,704,846

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 877 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas65%
  • Other U.S. states35%
  • International0.7%

A regional draw: about 65% of first-years come from Kansas, the rest from elsewhere.

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
89.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1050
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
17–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.02

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,400
Out-of-state tuition
$19,744
Room & board
$10,234
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$22,099
Average net price
$15,784

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)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
36%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
26%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,793
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,579
Median debt at graduation
$18,969
Students with federal loans
41%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
55%

About 20% 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
36%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
33%

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
1,150
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
27%
Housing charge (year)
$5,386
Meal plan (year)
$3,324
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
605 (375 men · 230 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 (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)307
Football134
Baseball48
Soccer40
Basketball27
Softball20
Volleyball18
Golf11

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)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
13

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,755 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.

7.7reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year4.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.7
Rape
2.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Fondling
0.7
Aggravated assault
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
$11,968
$30–48k
$11,453
$48–75k
$14,676
$75–110k
$18,873
$110k+
$20,237

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
$66,558

$14,676/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.

59%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,807
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 59% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,807. 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 837 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)
$50,579
Typical debt at graduation
$18,969
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 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
$45,192
Men
$56,432

Men out-earn women by $11,240 (25%) 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
24°F
Annual rain
47.9″
Annual snow
9.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.57.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pittsburg, KS US station (0.1 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 Pittsburg State University

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

Colleges near Pittsburg 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.