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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 79 miles to Springfield, MO
- To Great Lakes shore
- 486 miles
- Nearest airport
- 20 miles to Joplin (JLN)
How Pittsburg State University compares
More selective than 25% · #16 most selective of 24 in Kansas
Higher than 16%
Higher than 53% · #6 of 27 in Kansas
Higher than 53%
Higher than 40% · #18 of 27 in Kansas
Cheaper than 69% · #6 cheapest of 26 in Kansas
Lower than 80%
Lower than 42%
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
- Undergraduate4,21077%
- Graduate1,28323%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pittsburg, KS US station (0.1 mi from campus).
What Pittsburg 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 Pittsburg State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pittsburg State University side by side →
Radford University
Radford, Virginia · Fringe town · 35 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 6,038
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1060
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $54k
Angelo State University
San Angelo, Texas · Small city · 102 mi to Midland
- Students
- 5,643
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1054
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $50k
Augusta University
Augusta, Georgia · Midsize city · 1 mi to Augusta
- Students
- 5,613
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1070
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $48k
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Kingsville, Texas · Distant town · 35 mi to Corpus Christi
- Students
- 4,748
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $51k
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 46 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 6,764
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1082
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $51k
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, Colorado · Midsize city · 49 mi to Denver
- Students
- 5,598
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1082
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near Pittsburg State University
SPBK Enterprises Inc
Webb City, MO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 96 students
Ozark Christian College
Joplin, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 602 students
New Dimensions School
Joplin, MO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 38 students
Franklin Technology Center Adult Education
Joplin, MO · Public · Certificate · 91 students
Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, MO · Public · Bachelor's · 3,019 students
Carthage R9 School District-Carthage Technical Center
Carthage, MO · Public · Certificate · 26 students
Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott, KS · Public · Certificate · 693 students
Labette Community College
Parsons, KS · Public · Associate · 801 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.













