Public · University
Wright State University-Main Campus
Dayton, Ohio · Large suburb
- 96.3%
- Admit rate
- $15,415
- Avg net price
- 42%
- Graduation rate
- $49,500
- Median earnings
Wright State University-Main Campus is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Dayton, Ohio (large suburb setting), enrolling 6,762 undergraduates.
About Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Dayton was founded on April 1, 1796, by 12 settlers known as the Thompson Party. Among the Thompson Party was Benjamin Van Cleve, whose memoirs provide insights into the Ohio Valley's history. Two other groups traveling overland arrived several days later. The Dayton Region ranked within the top 10% in the nation in arts and culture. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 7 miles to Dayton, OH
- To Great Lakes shore
- 128 miles
- Nearest airport
- 12 miles to James M. Cox Dayton (DAY)
How Wright State University-Main Campus compares
More selective than 11% · #61 most selective of 65 in Ohio
Higher than 26% · #51 of 73 in Ohio
Higher than 26%
Higher than 37% · #48 of 74 in Ohio
Cheaper than 71% · #18 cheapest of 73 in Ohio
Lower than 55%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 83%
Percentiles compare Wright State University-Main Campus with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Ohio.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate6,76269%
- Graduate3,09831%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women3,78356%
- Men2,97944%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White67%
- Black12%
- Hispanic4.8%
- Asian3.2%
- Other or multiracial13%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 6,762
- Graduate enrollment
- 3,098
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 34%
- First-generation students
- 35%
- Students over 25
- 16%
- Median family income
- $45,025
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $91,998
- Endowment
- $153,809,620
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 96.3%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $11,522
- Out-of-state tuition
- $21,222
- Room & board
- $11,250
- Books & supplies
- $1,400
- Total cost of attendance
- $24,373
- Average net price
- $15,415
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)
- 42%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 28%
- First-year retention
- 68%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $42,229
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,500
- Median debt at graduation
- $22,750
- Students with federal loans
- 42%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 47%
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
- 2,599
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 38%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,552
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,106
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I without football
- Varsity athletes
- 375 (196 men · 179 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 (7)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.6 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 22
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 30
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (10,603 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.
$14,501/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: 84% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,088. 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 1,235 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)
- $49,500
- Typical debt at graduation
- $22,750
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 46%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 59%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 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 $11,954 (27%) 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
- 20°F
- Annual rain
- 41.6″
- Annual snow
- 12.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dayton Mcd, OH US station (6.8 mi from campus).
What Wright State University-Main Campus 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 Wright State University-Main Campus
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Wright State University-Main Campus side by side →
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
University of Maine
Orono, Maine · Small suburb · 116 mi to Portland
- Students
- 8,496
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $49k
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Stevens Point, Wisconsin · Distant town · 77 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 7,306
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $52k
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 46 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 6,764
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1082
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $51k
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Arcata, California · Remote town · 210 mi to Sacramento
- Students
- 5,612
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $48k
Pennsylvania Western University
California, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 27 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 7,451
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1063
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near Wright State University-Main Campus
Air Force Institute of Technology-Graduate School of Engineering & Management
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH · Public · Graduate
Ross Medical Education Center-Dayton
Fairborn, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 84 students
Ohio Institute of Allied Health
Huber Heights, OH · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 121 students
University of Dayton
Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,682 students
Sinclair Community College
Dayton, OH · Public · Certificate · 13,308 students
Ohio Medical Career College
Dayton, OH · Private for-profit · Associate · 129 students
The Modern College of Design
Kettering, OH · Private for-profit · Associate · 211 students
Creative Images Institute of Cosmetology-North Dayton
Dayton, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 210 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.














