Public · University

Shawnee State University

Portsmouth, Ohio · Distant town

Admit rate
$14,381
Avg net price
48%
Graduation rate
$39,596
Median earnings

Shawnee State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Portsmouth, Ohio (distant town setting), enrolling 2,247 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,247 undergradsDistant townNAIA Division ICold winters

About Portsmouth, Ohio

Portsmouth is a city in Scioto County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. According to early 20th-century historian Charles Augustus Hanna, a Shawnee village was founded at the site of modern-day Portsmouth in late 1758, following the abandonment of Lower Shawneetown. Landmarks that have been demolished include the old Norfolk & Western rail depot, churches dating back to the early 20th century, houses dating to the 1850s, Grant Middle School, and the old Portsmouth High School and various elementary schools. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
186 miles
Nearest airport
34 miles to Tri-State Airport / Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS)

How Shawnee State University compares

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 36% · #47 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention72%

Higher than 36%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,596

Higher than 13% · #65 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$14,381

Cheaper than 75% · #15 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$23,000

Lower than 53%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,247

Larger than 61%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,484students
  • Undergraduate2,24790%
  • Graduate23710%

Undergraduates by gender

2,247undergrads
  • Women1,19353%
  • Men1,05447%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White71%
  • Black3.9%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial25%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,247
Graduate enrollment
237
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
11%
Median family income
$34,861
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$66,312
Endowment
$23,593,304

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 635 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Ohio83%
  • Other U.S. states16%
  • International0.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Shawnee State University draws overwhelmingly from Ohio.

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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,626
Out-of-state tuition
$17,358
Room & board
$12,502
Books & supplies
$1,024
Total cost of attendance
$21,974
Average net price
$14,381

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)
48%
Graduated on time (4 years)
37%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,080
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$39,596
Median debt at graduation
$23,000
Students with federal loans
39%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
32%

About 11% 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
37%
Low-income (Pell)
23%
First-generation
27%

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
878
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
39%
Housing charge (year)
$7,080
Meal plan (year)
$4,584
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
397 (230 men · 167 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 (13)

Track and Field (Outdoor)53
Track and Field (Indoor)50
Other Sports47
Soccer42
Baseball34
Basketball28
Cross Country26
Swimming25
Bowling23
Softball21
Golf19
Tennis15
Volleyball14

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,231 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.

3.7reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.3
Fondling
1.0
Burglary
1.0
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
$12,310
$30–48k
$11,956
$48–75k
$14,326
$75–110k
$16,787
$110k+
$18,754

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
$62,061

$14,326/year × about 4.3 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.

56%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,310
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 56% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,310. 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 618 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)
$39,596
Typical debt at graduation
$23,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
58%
Out-earn a HS grad
46%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.8 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
$35,630
Men
$44,459

Men out-earn women by $8,829 (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
87°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
43.1″
Annual snow
20.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Portsmouth-Sciotoville, OH US station (6 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 Shawnee State University

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

Colleges near Shawnee 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.