Public · University
Worcester State University
Worcester, Massachusetts · Midsize city
- 88.0%
- Admit rate
- $13,381
- Avg net price
- 61%
- Graduation rate
- $60,624
- Median earnings
Worcester State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Worcester, Massachusetts (midsize city setting), enrolling 3,930 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Worcester State University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 88.0%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1026–1283
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.29
Enter a test score to see where you land against Worcester State University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Worcester State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The native people called the region Quinsigamond and built a settlement on Pakachoag Hill in Auburn. Much of Worcester's culture is synonymous with broader New England culture. The city's name is notoriously mispronounced by people unfamiliar with the city. As with the city in England, the first syllable of "cester" (castra) is left entirely unvoiced. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 2 miles to Worcester, MA
- To the ocean
- 39 miles
- Nearest airport
- 2 miles to Worcester (ORH)
How Worcester State University compares
More selective than 28% · #55 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 45%
Higher than 63% · #43 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 56%
Higher than 69% · #36 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 79% · #1 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 78%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 73%
Percentiles compare Worcester State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate3,93082%
- Graduate87718%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,33159%
- Men1,59941%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White59%
- Black9.8%
- Hispanic19%
- Asian5.5%
- Other or multiracial6.9%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,930
- Graduate enrollment
- 877
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 30%
- First-generation students
- 36%
- Students over 25
- 12%
- Median family income
- $54,212
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $92,772
- Endowment
- $25,642,341
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 909 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Massachusetts92%
- Other U.S. states6.1%
- International1.7%
Most first-years stay in state — Worcester State University draws overwhelmingly from Massachusetts.
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
- 88.0%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1026–1283
- SAT average
- 1150
- SAT reading
- 533–665
- SAT math
- 493–618
- ACT composite
- —
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.29
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $11,786
- Out-of-state tuition
- $17,866
- Room & board
- $14,307
- Books & supplies
- $1,368
- Total cost of attendance
- $22,874
- Average net price
- $13,381
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)
- 61%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 48%
- First-year retention
- 78%
- Transferred to another college
- 21%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $50,233
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,624
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Students with federal loans
- 44%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 62%
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)
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
- 1,584
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 40%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,793
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,630
- Application fee
- $50
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Massachusetts State College Athletic Association
- Varsity athletes
- 474 (277 men · 197 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 (13)
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)
- 29
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,745 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.
$9,540/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.
Modest institutional aid: 51% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,916. 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 788 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)
- $60,624
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 32%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 71%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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 $22,362 (44%) 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
- 80°F
- Winter low
- 17°F
- Annual rain
- 48.3″
- Annual snow
- 72.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Worcester Rgnl AP, MA US station (1.5 mi from campus).
What Worcester 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 Worcester State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Worcester State University side by side →
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
River Falls, Wisconsin · Distant town · 33 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 4,205
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $54k
Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg, Massachusetts · Midsize suburb · 23 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 2,752
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $54k
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, Wisconsin · Distant town · 66 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 5,842
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $58k
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, Wisconsin · Distant town · 60 mi to Madison
- Students
- 5,837
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $62k
Western Connecticut State University
Danbury, Connecticut · Small city · 28 mi to New Haven
- Students
- 3,511
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1110
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $59k
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 25 mi to Providence
- Students
- 7,829
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1180
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $57k
Colleges near Worcester State University
Clark University
Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,214 students
Rob Roy Academy-Worcester
Worcester, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 109 students
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,447 students
Assumption University
Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,669 students
COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester
Worcester, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 192 students
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,106 students
Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA · Public · Associate · 6,447 students
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Worcester, MA · Public · Graduate
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.














