Albany State University
Public College in Albany, GA. Six-year graduation rate 34%. Median 10-year earnings $40,674.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $40,674, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Only 34% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates carry a median of $25,024 in debt — in line with the national norm. Mobility is where this school separates itself: 2.6% of students move from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.62 — elevated (above 0.60)
- ! Graduation rate 34% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 34% graduate within six years. Retention of 79% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. The 40% transfer-out rate is high enough that a large share of this school's students are really passing through. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 33% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,878 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $11,484 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $10,693 at $0–30k against $17,324 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 81% of students receive grant aid, averaging $7,796 — common but not automatic. Borrowing is widespread: 65% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,400 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,693 |
| $30–48k | $11,147 |
| $48–75k | $13,785 |
| $75–110k | $16,419 |
| $110k+ | $17,324 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 3,846 of these 5,878 students, totalling $24,149,638 — an average of $6,279 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Dougherty County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)