Fort Hays
State University
Public College in Hays, KS. Six-year graduation rate 47%. Median 10-year earnings $48,928.
Ten years after entry, the median Fort Hays State University student earns $48,928 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Six-year completion sits at 47%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates carry a median of $21,000 in debt — in line with the national norm.
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
Admissions
Fort Hays State University admits 90% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. 2,619 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. 42% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards. The score bands below rest on the 3% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
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 | 500–580 | 31 (3%) |
| SAT Math | 470–560 | |
| ACT Composite | 18–24 | 884 (89%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Fort Hays State University →Academics
Completion is middling: 47% finish inside six years. 77% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in four are gone before sophomore year. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. Retention drops to 45% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. At 15:1, students get materially more instructor contact than at a typical public university.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 9,791 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $13,186 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. The income table below is the number that matters — $7,661 at $0–30k versus $16,641 at $110k+. 81% of students receive grant aid, averaging $4,029 — common but not automatic. About 25% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 826 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 | $7,661 |
| $30–48k | $9,776 |
| $48–75k | $11,941 |
| $75–110k | $14,266 |
| $110k+ | $16,641 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,478 of these 9,791 students, totalling $18,131,968 — an average of $7,317 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Ellis 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)