Public · University

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska · Small city

Admit rate
$10,892
Avg net price
38%
Graduation rate
$48,866
Median earnings

University of Alaska Fairbanks is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Fairbanks, Alaska (small city setting), enrolling 4,207 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,207 undergradsSmall cityNCAA Division II without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Athabascan peoples have lived on, traveled through, and stewarded the land of the Fairbanks area for thousands of years. Fairbanks continues to benefit from the leadership and influence of people from Athabascan and other Alaska Native communities. Summer tourist traffic primarily consists of cruise ship passengers who purchase package tours which include travel to Fairbanks. Many of these tourists spend one or more nights at a local hotel and visit one or more attractions. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
236 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Fairbanks (FAI)

How University of Alaska Fairbanks compares

Graduation rate38%

Higher than 20% · #1 of 3 in Alaska

First-year retention74%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,866

Higher than 35% · #2 of 2 in Alaska

Average net price$10,892

Cheaper than 88% · #1 cheapest of 3 in Alaska

Median debt at graduation$20,291

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment4,207

Larger than 75%

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

University of Alaska Fairbanks campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,273students
  • Undergraduate4,20780%
  • Graduate1,06620%

Undergraduates by gender

4,207undergrads
  • Women2,49959%
  • Men1,70841%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White53%
  • Black3.0%
  • Hispanic9.8%
  • Asian3.2%
  • Other or multiracial31%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,207
Graduate enrollment
1,066
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
40%
Median family income
$35,967
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$93,996
Endowment
$159,604,689

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 770 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Alaska81%
  • Other U.S. states18%
  • International1.2%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Alaska Fairbanks draws overwhelmingly from Alaska.

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
$8,736
Out-of-state tuition
$22,320
Room & board
$10,590
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$22,407
Average net price
$10,892

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)
25%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$40,746
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$48,866
Median debt at graduation
$20,291
Students with federal loans
17%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
51%

About 13% 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
25%
Low-income (Pell)
22%
First-generation
21%

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
1,746
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
42%
Housing charge (year)
$5,200
Meal plan (year)
$5,250
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
155 (78 men · 77 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 (7)

Cross Country37
Ice Hockey31
Basketball29
Volleyball18
Skiing17
Swimming14
Rifle9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
87
Property offenses (2022–2024)
23

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 14 campuses (6,893 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.

37reported offenses a year
29 violent a year7.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
9.0
Aggravated assault
8.0
Statutory rape
7.0
Fondling
5.0
Burglary
4.0
Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Arson
0.7

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
$7,992
$30–48k
$6,065
$48–75k
$11,323
$75–110k
$15,526
$110k+
$17,512

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
$50,936

$11,323/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.

71%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,016
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 71% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,016. 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 561 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)
$48,866
Typical debt at graduation
$20,291
Debt vs. one year's pay
42%
Out-earn a HS grad
55%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 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
$42,561
Men
$58,255

Men out-earn women by $15,694 (37%) 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
71°F
Winter low
-12°F
Annual rain
13.3″
Annual snow
64.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
-20°30°80°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, College Obsy, AK US station (0.8 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 University of Alaska Fairbanks

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Alaska Fairbanks side by side →

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.