Central State University
About
Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1887, it enrolls approximately 2,700 students across its five constituent colleges. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the University System of Ohio, and the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE).
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.9-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 39 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 34 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing5 · 12.8%
- No Data34 · 87.2%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 3
Action history · 3
- Jun 2023Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Aug 2014Change in Agency recognitionNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation · Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs
- Aug 2014Change in Agency recognitionNational Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 1,644 students received $9.5M in Pell grants, alongside $12.1M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 780 borrowers who entered repayment, 27 (3.4%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Central State
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 5
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus3
Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Central State vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Central State selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectCentral State University | 23% | — | 2,708 | $13,096 | Baccalaureate |
| 38% | 75.7% | 3,825 | $6,842 | Baccalaureate | |
| — | — | 2,986 | — | Baccalaureate | |
| 26% | 98.1% | 3,468 | $15,261 | Baccalaureate | |
| 47% | 82.0% | 9,785 | $15,103 | Baccalaureate | |
| 21% | 80.3% | 14,486 | $5,127 | Baccalaureate | |
| 24% | — | 5,135 | $5,012 | Baccalaureate | |
| 44% | 64.2% | 2,258 | $6,364 | Baccalaureate | |
| 57% | 63.3% | 10,039 | $10,867 | Baccalaureate | |
| 36% | 77.3% | 3,544 | $17,296 | Baccalaureate | |
| 21% | 95.5% | 12,230 | $15,844 | Baccalaureate | |
| 60% | 90.3% | 2,848 | $17,887 | Baccalaureate | |
| 50% | 81.3% | 4,378 | $15,363 | Baccalaureate | |
| 32% | 87.7% | 3,801 | $15,635 | Baccalaureate | |
| 34% | 92.1% | 6,815 | $7,065 | Baccalaureate | |
| 24% | — | 2,480 | $11,286 | Baccalaureate | |
| 34% | 86.8% | 7,549 | $14,068 | Baccalaureate | |
| 53% | 95.0% | 5,299 | $15,706 | Baccalaureate | |
| 31% | 81.8% | 3,272 | $15,314 | Baccalaureate | |
| 42% | 92.1% | 3,459 | $15,268 | Baccalaureate | |
| 38% | 89.0% | 3,056 | $17,225 | Baccalaureate | |
| 40% | 41.2% | 2,005 | $12,653 | Baccalaureate | |
| 75% | 61.3% | 5,655 | $4,815 | Baccalaureate | |
| 50% | 95.3% | 2,814 | $10,327 | Baccalaureate | |
| 26% | — | 4,412 | $10,924 | Baccalaureate | |
| 56% | 94.8% | 1,813 | $18,202 | Baccalaureate | |
| 43% | 67.3% | 4,916 | $13,557 | Baccalaureate | |
| 43% | 81.7% | 5,093 | $18,212 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 38% | 82.0% | 3,813 | $14,068 |
Institutions like Central State
Explore the federal data for institutions in Central State's comparison group.
- BaccalaureateGeorgia
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Grad rate38%Admit rate75.7%Enrollment3,825Net price$6,842View data - BaccalaureateAlabama
Athens State University
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment2,986Net price—View data - BaccalaureateGeorgia
College of Coastal Georgia
Grad rate26%Admit rate98.1%Enrollment3,468Net price$15,261View data - BaccalaureateColorado
Colorado Mesa University
Grad rate47%Admit rate82.0%Enrollment9,785Net price$15,103View data - BaccalaureateNew York
CUNY New York City College of Technology
Grad rate21%Admit rate80.3%Enrollment14,486Net price$5,127View data - BaccalaureateGeorgia
Dalton State College
Grad rate24%Admit rate—Enrollment5,135Net price$5,012View data - BaccalaureateNorth Carolina
Elizabeth City State University
Grad rate44%Admit rate64.2%Enrollment2,258Net price$6,364View data - BaccalaureateNew York
Farmingdale State College
Grad rate57%Admit rate63.3%Enrollment10,039Net price$10,867View data - BaccalaureateColorado
Fort Lewis College
Grad rate36%Admit rate77.3%Enrollment3,544Net price$17,296View data - BaccalaureateGeorgia
Georgia Gwinnett College
Grad rate21%Admit rate95.5%Enrollment12,230Net price$15,844View data - BaccalaureateNew Hampshire
Keene State College
Grad rate60%Admit rate90.3%Enrollment2,848Net price$17,887View data - BaccalaureateSouth Carolina
Lander University
Grad rate50%Admit rate81.3%Enrollment4,378Net price$15,363View data - BaccalaureateIdaho
Lewis-Clark State College
Grad rate32%Admit rate87.7%Enrollment3,801Net price$15,635View data - BaccalaureateLouisiana
Louisiana State University-Alexandria
Grad rate34%Admit rate92.1%Enrollment6,815Net price$7,065View data - BaccalaureateOhio
Miami University-Hamilton
Grad rate24%Admit rate—Enrollment2,480Net price$11,286View data - BaccalaureateNevada
Nevada State University
Grad rate34%Admit rate86.8%Enrollment7,549Net price$14,068View data - BaccalaureateOregon
Oregon Institute of Technology
Grad rate53%Admit rate95.0%Enrollment5,299Net price$15,706View data - BaccalaureateOklahoma
Rogers State University
Grad rate31%Admit rate81.8%Enrollment3,272Net price$15,314View data - BaccalaureateNew York
SUNY College of Technology at Canton
Grad rate42%Admit rate92.1%Enrollment3,459Net price$15,268View data - BaccalaureateNew York
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Grad rate38%Admit rate89.0%Enrollment3,056Net price$17,225View data - BaccalaureateArkansas
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Grad rate40%Admit rate41.2%Enrollment2,005Net price$12,653View data - BaccalaureateFlorida
University of Florida-Online
Grad rate75%Admit rate61.3%Enrollment5,655Net price$4,815View data - BaccalaureateHawaii
University of Hawaii-West Oahu
Grad rate50%Admit rate95.3%Enrollment2,814Net price$10,327View data - BaccalaureateMaine
University of Maine at Augusta
Grad rate26%Admit rate—Enrollment4,412Net price$10,924View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown
Grad rate56%Admit rate94.8%Enrollment1,813Net price$18,202View data - BaccalaureateSouth Carolina
University of South Carolina-Upstate
Grad rate43%Admit rate67.3%Enrollment4,916Net price$13,557View data - BaccalaureateVermont
Vermont State University
Grad rate43%Admit rate81.7%Enrollment5,093Net price$18,212View data
Central State Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research serves a variety of Institutional constituencies to coordinate meaningful and useful information for planning purposes, students, faculty, and administration.
Visit IR office page- Ahmed KadiriInterim Director, Office of Institutional Research
- Mohammed DabdoubAssessment
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Notable alumni of Central State (29)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Roberta Alexander
- Hastings Banda
- Joyce BeattyPolitics
- Phyllis Bolds
- Wayne A. Cauthen
- Shamika CottonEntertainment
- Sam Cunningham
- Ted Daniel
- Michelle Day
- Phyllis Edness
- Derrick L. Foward
- John W. Garland
Frequently asked questions about Central State University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Central State.
What is the graduation rate at Central State University?
How many students attend Central State University?
What is the average net price at Central State University?
What is the yield rate at Central State University?
Where is Central State University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Central State University?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about Central State University and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card