Public · University

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas · Large city

#3 best value in Kansas
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.

PublicMidsize · 10,780 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 94% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold winters

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

Selectivity94.0%

More selective than 15% · #20 most selective of 24 in Kansas

SAT average1092

Higher than 29%

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 42% · #11 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention69%

Higher than 29%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,532

Higher than 42% · #16 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$13,194

Cheaper than 80% · #3 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment10,780

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

14,156students
  • Undergraduate10,78076%
  • Graduate3,37624%

Undergraduates by gender

10,780undergrads
  • 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)

All students
33%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
40%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)254
Baseball49
Basketball38
Volleyball22
Softball21
Golf18
Tennis18
Bowling10

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.

16reported offenses a year
8.7 violent a year7.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
3.3
Fondling
3.3
Burglary
3.3
Motor vehicle theft
3.3
Aggravated assault
1.3
Statutory rape
0.3
Robbery
0.3
Arson
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
$9,734
$30–48k
$9,696
$48–75k
$13,564
$75–110k
$16,893
$110k+
$19,184

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
$61,361

$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.

70%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,416
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$47,716
Men
$57,359

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wichita Jabara AP, KS US station (4.3 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 Wichita State University

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

Colleges near Wichita 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.