Public · University

Southern Connecticut State University

New Haven, Connecticut · Midsize city

91.5%
Admit rate
$20,857
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$55,043
Median earnings

Southern Connecticut State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in New Haven, Connecticut (midsize city setting), enrolling 6,295 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 6,295 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 91% admitNCAA Division II with football · Northeast 10 ConferenceCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Dutch traders set up a small trading system of beaver pelts with the local inhabitants, but trade was sporadic and the Dutch did not settle permanently in the area. Livability.com named New Haven as the Best Foodie City in the country in 2014. There are dozens of Zagat-rated restaurants in New Haven, the most in Connecticut and the third most in New England (after Boston and Cambridge). (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to New Haven, CT
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Tweed New Haven (HVN)

How Southern Connecticut State University compares

Selectivity91.5%

More selective than 20% · #21 most selective of 24 in Connecticut

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 39% · #22 of 26 in Connecticut

First-year retention78%

Higher than 55%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,043

Higher than 54% · #21 of 25 in Connecticut

Average net price$20,857

Cheaper than 46% · #9 cheapest of 26 in Connecticut

Median debt at graduation$22,250

Lower than 58%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment6,295

Larger than 82%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

8,420students
  • Undergraduate6,29575%
  • Graduate2,12525%

Undergraduates by gender

6,295undergrads
  • Women3,96963%
  • Men2,32637%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White42%
  • Black20%
  • Hispanic26%
  • Asian4.0%
  • Other or multiracial7.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,295
Graduate enrollment
2,125
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
41%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$48,142
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$100,944
Endowment
$40,457,103

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 1,227 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Connecticut91%
  • Other U.S. states8.3%

Most first-years stay in state — Southern Connecticut State University draws overwhelmingly from Connecticut.

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
91.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,438
Out-of-state tuition
$27,378
Room & board
$14,938
Books & supplies
$1,600
Total cost of attendance
$29,673
Average net price
$20,857

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)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
31%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,422
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,043
Median debt at graduation
$22,250
Students with federal loans
52%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
56%

About 19% 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
31%
Low-income (Pell)
49%
First-generation
49%

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
2,291
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
36%
Housing charge (year)
$7,962
Meal plan (year)
$6,738
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Northeast 10 Conference
Varsity athletes
653 (362 men · 291 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 (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)248
Football107
Soccer61
Baseball35
Gymnastics33
Basketball28
Lacrosse28
Swimming and Diving (combined)27
Softball24
Swimming23
Field Hockey21
Volleyball18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
7
Property offenses (2022–2024)
14

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (9,377 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.

7.0reported offenses a year
2.3 violent a year4.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
4.3
Rape
1.7
Fondling
0.7
Burglary
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
$17,736
$30–48k
$18,729
$48–75k
$19,437
$75–110k
$22,532
$110k+
$27,809

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
$88,954

$19,437/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.

52%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,730
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 52% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,730. 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 1,091 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)
$55,043
Typical debt at graduation
$22,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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
$53,670
Men
$58,687

Men out-earn women by $5,017 (9%) 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
85°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
50.4″
Annual snow
33.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, MT Carmel, CT US station (5.7 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 Southern Connecticut State University

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

Colleges near Southern Connecticut 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.