Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Fort Hays State University

Hays, Kansas·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·fhsu.edu
6-yr Graduation
48%
-4.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
12,878
peer median 11,795
Avg net price
$12,569
-$2.6k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data Set

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
2,619
2,619 candidates competed
Admitted
2,364
90.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
989
41.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
48%-4.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
30%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
46%
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

11.6pp gap
Pell recipients
41%158 of 390
Non-Pell (all)
53%298 of 566
Subsidized loan, no Pell
49%69 of 142
No Federal Aid
54%229 of 424

Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.6-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.

FVT/GE

Of 90 Title IV programs, 34 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 56 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
90
Passing
34
37.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

90programs
  • Passing34 · 37.8%
  • No Data56 · 62.2%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
5
Safe
29
No data
56

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.

34
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+10.2%
$59,149 vs $53,672
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+14.5%
$51,641 vs $45,084
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+14.8%
$51,758 vs $45,084
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+15.3%
$39,280 vs $34,058
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+23.8%
$55,830 vs $45,084
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Other
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+29.4%
$66,697 vs $51,545
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+30.4%
$44,405 vs $34,058
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+32.7%
$45,190 vs $34,058

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

28
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
63%
$32,334 debt · $51,758 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
56%
$25,000 debt · $44,405 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
56%
$22,000 debt · $39,280 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
54%
$24,538 debt · $45,190 earn
Marketing
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
50%
$31,000 debt · $62,261 earn
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Other
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
42%
$27,971 debt · $66,697 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Master's Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
41%
$26,862 debt · $65,851 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
40%
$24,491 debt · $60,958 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1915Next review Aug 2034

Programmatic accreditations · 7

Action history · 8

  1. Feb 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Sep 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  3. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
  4. Jul 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  5. Oct 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$7,661
$30–48k$9,776
$48–75k$11,941
$75–110k$14,266
$110k+$16,641

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$12,569
-$2,554vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $15,123
Federal loans
24.3%
In-state tuition
$5,923
Out-of-state
$17,741

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 3,116 students received $15.8M in Pell grants, alongside $32.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
3,116
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$15.8M
$15,759,798 total
Direct Loans
$32.2M
5,451 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
’20
3k
’21
3k
’22
3k
’23
3k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$8.1M
2,104 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$10.6M
2,219 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$12.3M
996 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.1M
115 loan awards
Grad PLUS$131K
17 loan awards

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 2,874 borrowers who entered repayment, 52 (1.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.8%
-0.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,874
Defaulted
52
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.5%
2017
7.1%
2018
5.7%
2019
1.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Fort Hays State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs65
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,875 total completions
01Business
87930.6%
02Education
73925.7%
03Health Professions
37813.1%
04Social Sciences
1625.6%
05Public Admin
1515.3%
06Computer Sciences
1445.0%
07Psychology
1364.7%
08Liberal Arts
1204.2%
09English Language
842.9%
10Agriculture
822.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
12,878
12-mo unduplicated
16,521
Undergraduate
12,902
Graduate
3,619

Gender split

Men
38%6,207
Women
62%10,314

Race / ethnicity composition

White
49.6%
Unknown
35.5%
Hispanic
6.9%
Black
3.0%
Asian
2.3%
Two or more
2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Non-resident
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
511
338 M · 173 W
Women athletes
33.9%
Athletic aid
$3.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$9.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.9M
$1.2M
Recruiting expense
$136K
$41K
Head-coach salaries
$76K
$50K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
135 M · 94 W
$715K
Football
132 M · —
$2.1M
Soccer
37 M · 28 W
$893K
Wrestling
31 M · 28 W
$727K
Baseball
34 M · —
$484K
Basketball
16 M · 13 W
$1.2M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.55
7 offenses · 12,843 students

3-year trend

0.852 yrs ago1.161 yr ago0.55Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
34
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
29
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
4
Rape
2
Fondling
1

By location

7total
  • On campus4
  • Non-campus3

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
0
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons11
Drugs810
Liquor8156

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
15.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
352

Fort Hays State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Fort Hays State selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

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
SubjectFort Hays State University
48%—12,878$12,569Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Pittsburg State University
51%89.4%5,755$15,784Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Emporia State University
56%97.7%4,557$16,261Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Central Missouri
54%63.8%12,857$14,462Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Minnesota State University-Mankato
53%88.4%15,271$19,139Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Saint Cloud State University
39%94.8%10,732$13,529Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median52%89.4%11,795$15,123

Institutions like Fort Hays State

Explore the federal data for institutions in Fort Hays State's comparison group.

IPEDS

Fort Hays State Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Improvement
Email
ieqi [at] fhsu.edu
Phone
785-628-4554
Address
600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601-4099

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Improvement at Fort Hays State University supports the University's mission, values and core commitments by serving as the official source of comprehensive information about the University and providing analytical support to the University's planning, assessment, and decision-making processes.

Visit IR office page
Team
6 members
  • Kristi Mills
    Director of Data and Institutional Effectiveness
  • Andrew Cutright
    University Director of Assessment
  • Darren Stieben
    Coordinator of Institutional Research
  • Shelly Gasper
    Institutional Research Analyst
  • Oliver Zhang
    Institutional Research Analyst
  • Pamela Groff
    Academic Program Specialist

Common Data Set

Fort Hays State's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Total enrollment
14,210
11,831 UG · 2,379 grad
6-yr graduation rate
42%
First-year retention
69%
Student–faculty ratio
16 to 1
01

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G

Total sticker cost of attendance is $0 (2019-2020).

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Federal78.2%
Scholarships/grants from external sources10.1%
Institutional6.7%
State5.0%

7% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
70%
Avg debt
$27,462

70% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $27,462 on average.

02

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
42%
Retention
69%

6-year graduation rate 42%; first-year retention 69%.

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students120
10-19 students184
20-29 students253
30-39 students101
40-49 students19
50-99 students29
100+ students1

43% of classes have under 20 students; 4% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
16 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
45%
Women faculty
48%

Key faculty indicators.

04

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic57.0%
Nonresident aliens28.1%
Hispanic/Latino6.9%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic3.6%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic2.1%
Asian, non-Hispanic1.0%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown0.8%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.4%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.1%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
3,329
Share
28%

28% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
11,83183%
Graduate
2,37917%

11,831 undergraduates and 2,379 graduate students.

05

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
3,396
Admitted
3,064
Enrolled
2,376

3,396 transfer applicants → 3,064 admitted (90.2%) → 2,376 enrolled

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Fort Hays State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Fort Hays State.

What is the graduation rate at Fort Hays State University?

Fort Hays State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 48% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Fort Hays State University?

Fort Hays State University reports a total enrollment of 12,878 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Fort Hays State University?

The average net price at Fort Hays State University is $12,569 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Fort Hays State University?

Fort Hays State University's yield rate is 41.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Fort Hays State University located?

Fort Hays State University is located in Hays, Kansas 67601-4099.

Who runs Institutional Research at Fort Hays State University?

Fort Hays State University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Improvement.

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.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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