Public · University
Wichita State University
Wichita, Kansas · Large city
- 94.0%
- Admit rate
- $13,194
- Avg net price
- 51%
- Graduation rate
- $51,532
- Median earnings
Wichita State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Wichita, Kansas (large city setting), enrolling 10,780 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Wichita State University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 94.0%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 905–1240
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.12
Enter a test score to see where you land against Wichita State University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Wichita State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation near the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers, the site of present-day Wichita, as early as 3000 BC. Wichita is home to several art museums and performing arts groups. The Wichita Art Museum is the largest art museum in the state of Kansas and contains 7,000 works in permanent collections. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 3 miles to Wichita, KS
- To the ocean
- 565 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National (ICT)
How Wichita State University compares
More selective than 15% · #20 most selective of 24 in Kansas
Higher than 29%
Higher than 42% · #11 of 27 in Kansas
Higher than 29%
Higher than 42% · #16 of 27 in Kansas
Cheaper than 80% · #3 cheapest of 26 in Kansas
Lower than 72%
Lower than 14%
Larger than 90%
Percentiles compare Wichita State University 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
- Undergraduate10,78076%
- Graduate3,37624%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women6,39759%
- Men4,38341%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White54%
- Black7.1%
- Hispanic18%
- Asian7.8%
- Other or multiracial13%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 10,780
- Graduate enrollment
- 3,376
- Student–faculty ratio
- 19 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 31%
- First-generation students
- 36%
- Students over 25
- 22%
- Median family income
- $43,391
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $82,845
- Endowment
- $335,902,000
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 1,786 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kansas76%
- Other U.S. states21%
- International2.5%
Most first-years stay in state — Wichita State University draws overwhelmingly from Kansas.
3% 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
- 94.0%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 905–1240
- SAT average
- 1092
- SAT reading
- 470–610
- SAT math
- 435–630
- ACT composite
- 17–25
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.12
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $9,684
- Out-of-state tuition
- $19,869
- Room & board
- $12,420
- Books & supplies
- $1,250
- Total cost of attendance
- $21,780
- Average net price
- $13,194
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)
- 51%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 33%
- First-year retention
- 69%
- Transferred to another college
- 26%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $44,043
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $51,532
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,500
- Students with federal loans
- 32%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 48%
About 18% 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)
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
- 1,396
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 13%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,010
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,210
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I without football
- Varsity athletes
- 430 (194 men · 236 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 (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 26
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 21
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 7 campuses (16,689 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$13,564/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.
Modest institutional aid: 70% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,416. 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 1,762 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)
- $51,532
- Typical debt at graduation
- $20,500
- 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.
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.
Men out-earn women by $9,643 (20%) 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
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 23°F
- Annual rain
- 32.6″
- Annual snow
- 12.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wichita Jabara AP, KS US station (4.3 mi from campus).
What Wichita State University graduates study — and earn
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 Wichita State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Wichita State University side by side →
East Texas A&M University
Commerce, Texas · Distant town · 61 mi to Dallas
- Students
- 9,912
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1076
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $50k
Fort Hays State University
Hays, Kansas · Remote town · 136 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 9,733
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1089
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $49k
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 49 mi to Scranton
- Students
- 9,210
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
Stephen F Austin State University
Nacogdoches, Texas · Remote town · 82 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 8,728
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1066
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $50k
Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas · Large city · 7 mi to Corpus Christi
- Students
- 8,034
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1086
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, Illinois · Large suburb · 16 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 8,750
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1100
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $56k
Colleges near Wichita State University
Galen Health Institutes-Wichita
Wichita, KS · Private for-profit · Associate · 233 students
Old Town Barber College
Wichita, KS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 97 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Wichita
Wichita, KS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 163 students
Kansas Health Science University
Wichita, KS · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology
Wichita, KS · Public · Certificate · 2,828 students
Friends University
Wichita, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,048 students
Newman University
Wichita, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 851 students
Crave Beauty Academy
Wichita, KS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 303 students
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.














