Emporia State University
Public College in Emporia, KS. Six-year graduation rate 56%. Median 10-year earnings $47,601.
Ten years after entry, the median Emporia State University student earns $47,601 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Six-year completion sits at 56%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $19,500, neither a bargain nor a burden.
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
- ! Mobility score 0.7 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
Admission is not the constraint here: 98% of applicants are accepted. 1,918 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. About 23% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range. 16% of enrolled first-years submitted an ACT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | 18–24 | 69 (16%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Emporia State University →Academics
56% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 77% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. A 16:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,328 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $16,094 annually once grants are applied. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $11,452 at the $0–30k band to $19,531 at $110k+. 82% of students receive grant aid, averaging $7,849 — common but not automatic. Most students borrow — 61% take federal loans to cover the gap.
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 · 406 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 | $11,452 |
| $30–48k | $11,905 |
| $48–75k | $14,229 |
| $75–110k | $18,994 |
| $110k+ | $19,531 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,423 of these 2,328 students, totalling $8,996,730 — an average of $6,322 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Lyon 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)