Public · University

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas · Small city

#3 for grad earnings in Kansas#3 graduation rate in Kansas
93.5%
Admit rate
$18,059
Avg net price
69%
Graduation rate
$61,945
Median earnings

University of Kansas is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Lawrence, Kansas (small city setting), enrolling 21,217 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 21,217 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 93% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Big Twelve ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Kansas's admitted students.

Admit rate
93.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1070–1300
Avg GPA (est.)
3.39

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

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

About Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. The Kaw people, also known as the Kansa, settled the region including what is now Lawrence in the late 17th or early 18th century. The New York Times said Lawrence had "the most vital music scene between Chicago and Denver" in a travel column on February 25, 2005. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
448 miles
Nearest airport
37 miles to Kansas City (MCI) · major hub

How University of Kansas compares

Selectivity93.5%

More selective than 16% · #18 most selective of 24 in Kansas

SAT average1190

Higher than 56%

Graduation rate69%

Higher than 76% · #3 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention86%

Higher than 80%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$61,945

Higher than 71% · #3 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$18,059

Cheaper than 59% · #8 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$21,000

Lower than 67%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment21,217

Larger than 95%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

28,924students
  • Undergraduate21,21773%
  • Graduate7,70727%

Undergraduates by gender

21,217undergrads
  • Women11,61855%
  • Men9,59945%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White69%
  • Black4.3%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian6.0%
  • Other or multiracial9.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
21,217
Graduate enrollment
7,707
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
22%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$64,240
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$102,042
Endowment
$2,547,083,957

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 5,259 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas55%
  • Other U.S. states43%
  • International1.7%

A regional draw: about 55% of first-years come from Kansas, the rest from elsewhere.

2% 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
93.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1070–1300
SAT average
1190
SAT reading
540–650
SAT math
530–650
ACT composite
20–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.39

Cost

In-state tuition
$12,102
Out-of-state tuition
$30,432
Room & board
$11,358
Books & supplies
$1,224
Total cost of attendance
$26,751
Average net price
$18,059

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)
69%
Graduated on time (4 years)
55%
First-year retention
86%
Transferred to another college
21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$51,217
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$61,945
Median debt at graduation
$21,000
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
61%

About 14% 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
55%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
41%

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
6,208
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
29%
Housing charge (year)
$6,378
Meal plan (year)
$4,440
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Big Twelve Conference
Varsity athletes
685 (337 men · 348 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 (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)286
Football122
Rowing70
Baseball39
Swimming and Diving (combined)34
Basketball33
Soccer30
Softball23
Golf22
Volleyball19
Tennis7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
201
Property offenses (2022–2024)
196

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 12 campuses (29,792 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.

132reported offenses a year
67 violent a year65 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
54
Rape
24
Fondling
22
Aggravated assault
18
Burglary
10
Robbery
2.3
Arson
1.0

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
$12,544
$30–48k
$12,942
$48–75k
$15,154
$75–110k
$19,169
$110k+
$22,544

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
$65,168

$15,154/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.

85%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,441
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 85% — get grant money from University of Kansas itself, averaging $9,441, which softens the sticker price.

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 4,371 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)
$61,945
Typical debt at graduation
$21,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
34%
Out-earn a HS grad
72%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.4 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
$59,568
Men
$64,811

Men out-earn women by $5,243 (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
89°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
39.4″
Annual snow
10.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lawrence, KS US station (0.2 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 Kansas

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

Colleges near University of Kansas

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.