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.

PublicMidsize · 6,762 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 96% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold winters

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

Selectivity96.3%

More selective than 11% · #61 most selective of 65 in Ohio

Graduation rate42%

Higher than 26% · #51 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,500

Higher than 37% · #48 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$15,415

Cheaper than 71% · #18 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$22,750

Lower than 55%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment6,762

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

9,860students
  • Undergraduate6,76269%
  • Graduate3,09831%

Undergraduates by gender

6,762undergrads
  • 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)

All students
28%
Low-income (Pell)
37%
First-generation
38%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)197
Soccer67
Baseball40
Basketball29
Bowling17
Volleyball15
Golf10

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.

17reported offenses a year
7.3 violent a year10 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
7.7
Rape
4.7
Fondling
2.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Arson
0.7

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
$11,952
$30–48k
$11,631
$48–75k
$14,501
$75–110k
$18,734
$110k+
$20,720

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
$65,079

$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.

84%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,088
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$44,973
Men
$56,927

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dayton Mcd, OH US station (6.8 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 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 →

Colleges near Wright State University-Main Campus

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.