Public · University

University of Nebraska at Kearney

Kearney, Nebraska · Distant town

#5 best value in Nebraska
89.5%
Admit rate
$16,242
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$50,105
Median earnings

University of Nebraska at Kearney is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Kearney, Nebraska (distant town setting), enrolling 4,088 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,088 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 89% admitNCAA Division II with football · Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Nebraska at Kearney's admitted students.

Admit rate
89.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
905–1125
Avg GPA (est.)
3.20

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

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

About Kearney, Nebraska

Kearney is a city in and the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. In the late 1840s, American settlers traveling westward arrived in significant numbers along the Mormon Trail and Overland Trails. This marked the beginning of Kearney's role as a crossroads on major east-west transportation arteries. Kearney is home to several museums, many of which reflect its location on the California, Mormon, Oregon, and Pony Express trails, and the Lincoln Highway. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
126 miles to Lincoln, NE
To Great Lakes shore
544 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Kearney (EAR)

How University of Nebraska at Kearney compares

Selectivity89.5%

More selective than 25% · #13 most selective of 15 in Nebraska

SAT average1118

Higher than 35%

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 57% · #8 of 19 in Nebraska

First-year retention80%

Higher than 62%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,105

Higher than 39% · #16 of 21 in Nebraska

Average net price$16,242

Cheaper than 67% · #5 cheapest of 19 in Nebraska

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment4,088

Larger than 74%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,756students
  • Undergraduate4,08871%
  • Graduate1,66829%

Undergraduates by gender

4,088undergrads
  • Women2,52962%
  • Men1,55938%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White73%
  • Black2.8%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial7.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,088
Graduate enrollment
1,668
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
37%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$56,350
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$75,150
Endowment
$88,189,670

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 910 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Nebraska86%
  • Other U.S. states9.2%
  • International4.5%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Nebraska at Kearney draws overwhelmingly from Nebraska.

5% 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
89.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
905–1125
SAT average
1118
SAT reading
495–575
SAT math
410–550
ACT composite
19–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.20

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,676
Out-of-state tuition
$15,284
Room & board
$12,198
Books & supplies
$798
Total cost of attendance
$25,808
Average net price
$16,242

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)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
36%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
23%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,241
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,105
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
Students with federal loans
35%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
66%

About 22% 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
36%
Low-income (Pell)
46%
First-generation
42%

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
1,921
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
47%
Housing charge (year)
$6,058
Meal plan (year)
$5,508
Application fee
$45
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
627 (352 men · 275 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)264
Football133
Swimming and Diving (combined)54
Wrestling40
Basketball33
Soccer31
Volleyball23
Softball21
Tennis16
Golf12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
20
Property offenses (2022–2024)
12

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,881 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.

11reported offenses a year
6.7 violent a year4.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.0
Burglary
3.3
Aggravated assault
1.3
Fondling
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Robbery
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
$13,066
$30–48k
$13,350
$48–75k
$14,547
$75–110k
$16,703
$110k+
$20,664

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
$66,502

$14,547/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.

82%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,217
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 82% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,217. 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 846 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)
$50,105
Typical debt at graduation
$19,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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
$46,406
Men
$56,415

Men out-earn women by $10,009 (22%) 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
14°F
Annual rain
25.6″
Annual snow
21.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Kearney 4 NE, NE US station (4.8 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 Nebraska at Kearney

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

Colleges near University of Nebraska at Kearney

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.