R2 ResearchPublic

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, Georgia·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·kennesaw.edu
6-yr Graduation
52%
-7.0pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
47,764
peer median 29,257
Avg net price
$15,048
-$110 vs R2 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
34,680
34,680 candidates competed
Admitted
23,995
69.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
9,117
38.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
52%-7.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
24%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
52%
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

3.3pp gap
Pell recipients
50%749 of 1502
Non-Pell (all)
53%1680 of 3151
Subsidized loan, no Pell
51%377 of 738
No Federal Aid
54%1303 of 2413

Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.3-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 239 Title IV programs, 74 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 165 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
239
Passing
74
31.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

239programs
  • Passing74 · 31.0%
  • No Data165 · 69.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
3
Safe
71
No data
165

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.

74
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+12.5%
$57,455 vs $51,086
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+13.1%
$55,016 vs $48,653
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+19.1%
$38,348 vs $32,203
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+29.5%
$59,764 vs $46,158
Foreign Languages Literatures and Linguistics Other
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+33.0%
$42,832 vs $32,203
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+36.5%
$43,954 vs $32,203
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+36.6%
$63,371 vs $46,391
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+37.5%
$63,462 vs $46,158

Debt vs earnings

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

65
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
68%
$40,745 debt · $59,764 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$26,000 debt · $38,348 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
62%
$27,406 debt · $43,954 earn
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
61%
$28,937 debt · $47,723 earn
Human Services General
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
60%
$28,479 debt · $47,540 earn
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
Bachelor Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
59%
$30,255 debt · $51,417 earn
Geography and Cartography
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
57%
$30,000 debt · $53,044 earn
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
56%
$35,500 debt · $63,462 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1968Next review Dec 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 8

Action history · 10

  1. Dec 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Apr 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  4. Dec 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Dec 2018Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education · Montessori Education (MACTE) - Montessori teacher education programs and institutions

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$12,235
$30–48k$12,661
$48–75k$15,185
$75–110k$18,263
$110k+$19,309

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

Avg net price
$15,048
-$109vs R2 Research median $15,158
Federal loans
32.7%
In-state tuition
$5,808
Out-of-state
$17,736

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 19,360 students received $117.4M in Pell grants, alongside $138.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
19,360
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$117.4M
$117,397,864 total
Direct Loans
$138.4M
25,716 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

14k
20
15k
21
15k
22
17k
23
19k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$39.8M
10,401 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$42.7M
11,361 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$33.2M
2,290 loan awards
Parent PLUS$18.8M
1,375 loan awards
Grad PLUS$3.8M
289 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.

Of 8,363 borrowers who entered repayment, 154 (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
8,363
Defaulted
154
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.9%
2017
6.5%
2018
4.8%
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 Kennesaw State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs127
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

7,750 total completions
01Business
1,55320.0%
02Computer Sciences
1,30816.9%
03Engineering
93212.0%
04Education
84710.9%
05Health Professions
7499.7%
06Psychology
5847.5%
07Security/Protective
5457.0%
08Biological Sciences
5096.6%
09Communication
3845.0%
10Visual/Performing Arts
3394.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
47,764
12-mo unduplicated
55,893
Undergraduate
49,493
Graduate
6,400

Gender split

Men
49%27,134
Women
51%28,759

Race / ethnicity composition

White
39.2%
Black
28.2%
Hispanic
17.0%
Asian
6.0%
Two or more
5.1%
Unknown
2.5%
Non-resident
1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
475
241 M · 234 W
Women athletes
49.3%
Athletic aid
$7.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$42.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$4.3M
$3.1M
Recruiting expense
$479K
$127K
Head-coach salaries
$176K
$89K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
110 M · 169 W
$2.7M
Football
120 M ·
$11.5M
Baseball
40 M ·
$2.2M
Lacrosse
· 34 W
$1.0M
Soccer
· 34 W
$1.1M
Basketball
13 M · 14 W
$5.0M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.89
40 offenses · 45,069 students

3-year trend

0.582 yrs ago0.721 yr ago0.89Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
96
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
89
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
6

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
12
Rape
10
Burglary
6
Motor vehicle theft
6
Aggravated assault
3
Robbery
2
Murder
1

By location

40total
  • On campus39
  • Public property1

Includes 22 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

4
Domestic violence
18
Dating violence
16
Stalking
38 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs14159
Liquor361

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 5 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
23.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,328

Kennesaw State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Kennesaw State selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectKennesaw State University
52%47,764$15,048R2 Research
55%87.9%27,423$15,267R2 Research
49%86.4%10,900$13,787R2 Research
63%66.1%31,607$8,752R2 Research
69%79.6%31,091$15,435R2 Research
63%89.2%26,940$15,739R2 Research
Peer group median59%86.4%29,257$15,158

Institutions like Kennesaw State

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

Kennesaw State Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Phone
470-KSU-INFO (470-578-4636)
Address
1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, GA 30144

The page provides information about the Kennesaw State University Fact Book, an annual publication offering detailed statistical data and analyses about the university's operations. It includes links to current and past editions of the Fact Book and contact information for the Institutional Research office.

Visit IR office page
Team
3 members
  • Barbara Hair
    Associate Director, Institutional Research
  • Stephanie Foldy
    Institutional Research Analyst
  • Zach Reinert
    Institutional Research Analyst

Common Data Set

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

Acceptance rate
79.4%
Accessible
Yield
35.8%
of admitted students enroll
Total enrollment
51,375
46,069 UG · 5,306 grad
6-yr graduation rate
52%
First-year retention
80%
Student–faculty ratio
24 to 1
Est. net price (aided)
$17,406
after avg need-based grant
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
33,513
Admitted
26,622
Enrolled
9,537

33,513 applied → 26,622 admitted (79.4%) → 9,537 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
79.4%

Accessible — 79.4% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
male78.8%
female80.0%

Admit rate varies by gender.

SAT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
1010
Median
1100
75th
1210

Middle 50% SAT 1010–1210 (median 1100).

ACT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
19
Median
22
75th
26

Middle 50% ACT 19–26 (median 22).

High-school class rank

C10
top tenth18%
top quarter43%
top half77%
bottom half23%
bottom quarter5%

Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important2
academic GPAstandardized test scores
Not Considered16
rigor of secondary school recordclass rankapplication essayrecommendation(s)interviewextracurricular activitiestalent/abilitycharacter/personal qualitiesfirst generationalumni/ae relationgeographical residencestate residencyreligious affiliation/commitmentvolunteer workwork experiencelevel of applicant’s interest

Relative importance of each admission factor.

02

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G
Total$26,791
Tuition
$5,76021%
Fees
$1,1884%
Room & board
$14,34854%
Books
$1,5006%
Other
$3,99515%

Total sticker cost of attendance is $26,791 (2025-2026).

Sticker vs. net price

G+H
Sticker COA
$26,791
Net (aided)
$17,406
Avg need grant
$9,385

Sticker $26,791 → about $17,406 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($9,385); 45% of demonstrated need is met.

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Federal99.3%
Institutional0.3%
External0.2%
State0.1%

0% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
47%
Avg debt
$24,067

47% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $24,067 on average.

03

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
52%
Retention
80%

6-year graduation rate 52%; first-year retention 80%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students52%
Pell recipients50%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 2 pts below the overall rate (50% vs 52%).

04

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students676
10-19 students739
20-29 students1,304
30-39 students731
40-49 students690
50-99 students573
100+ students177

29% of classes have under 20 students; 15% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
24 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
68%
Women faculty
52%

Key faculty indicators.

05

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic36.5%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic29.7%
Hispanic/Latino17.5%
Asian, non-Hispanic6.1%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic5.1%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown2.9%
Nonresidents2.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.1%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.1%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
901
Share
2%

2% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
46,06990%
Graduate
5,30610%

46,069 undergraduates and 5,306 graduate students.

06

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
4,448
Admitted
3,716
Enrolled
2,483

4,448 transfer applicants → 3,716 admitted (83.6%) → 2,483 enrolled

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Kennesaw State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Kennesaw State.

What is the graduation rate at Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 52% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State University reports a total enrollment of 47,764 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Kennesaw State University?

The average net price at Kennesaw State University is $15,048 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State University's yield rate is 38.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Kennesaw State University located?

Kennesaw State University is located in Kennesaw, Georgia 30144.

Who runs Institutional Research at Kennesaw State University?

Kennesaw State University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

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.
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.
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.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
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.
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.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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