Norfolk State University
About
Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership.
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 13.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 89 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 86 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing3 · 3.4%
- No Data86 · 96.6%
- 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.
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.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 6
Action history · 17
- Jun 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused ReviewSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Apr 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused ReviewSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Sep 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jul 2023Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
- May 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
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, 4,028 students received $24.2M in Pell grants, alongside $37.8M 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 1,811 borrowers who entered repayment, 102 (5.6%) 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 Norfolk 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 · 8
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 campus9
- Non-campus1
- Public property5
Includes 1 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: 2 reports were 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.
Norfolk State vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Norfolk 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectNorfolk State University | 38% | — | 6,053 | $12,973 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Albany State University | 33% | 73.0% | 6,768 | $14,251 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Angelo State University | 44% | 83.0% | 11,542 | $12,915 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Augsburg University | 52% | 82.0% | 3,249 | $23,875 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Augusta University | 49% | 86.4% | 10,900 | $13,347 | R2 Research |
Bowie State University | 38% | 72.4% | 6,353 | $19,335 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Capital University | 60% | 70.2% | 2,263 | $23,585 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Colorado State University Pueblo | 40% | 94.9% | 6,851 | $12,948 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Columbus State University | 43% | 99.1% | 7,913 | $11,889 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Coppin State University | 26% | 45.8% | 2,210 | $6,007 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Delaware State University | 39% | 46.6% | 5,327 | $15,745 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
East Central University | 34% | 58.1% | 3,377 | $9,287 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Fayetteville State University | 38% | 82.1% | 7,107 | $7,360 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Grambling State University | 36% | 44.9% | 5,150 | $19,125 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Monmouth University | 72% | 89.0% | 4,767 | $31,650 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
North Carolina Central University | 42% | 87.0% | 8,579 | $15,028 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Northern Michigan University | 53% | 84.0% | 7,409 | $17,485 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Prairie View A & M University | 43% | 79.3% | 9,922 | $14,041 | R2 Research |
Rhode Island College | 48% | 91.8% | 6,155 | $10,988 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Southern University at New Orleans | 13% | 78.9% | 2,468 | $15,260 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
SUNY Brockport | 55% | 70.7% | 7,482 | $15,844 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs | 47% | 97.4% | 11,354 | $16,431 | R2 Research |
Western Connecticut State University | 52% | 87.0% | 4,169 | $18,617 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Worcester State University | 61% | 88.0% | 5,745 | $14,738 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
| Peer group median | 43% | 82.1% | 6,254 | $14,883 |
Norfolk State Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The page for Norfolk State University's Institutional Research does not include specific details such as the office mission, head contact, or physical address. It mentions 'Dashboards', 'Documents and Forms', 'University Factbook', and 'Data Governance' but provides no external links or further descriptions.
Visit IR office page- Dr. James WalkeAssociate Vice President, Institutional Effectiveness and Planning
- Ephraim J BennettDirector, Institutional Research
Research funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookUniversity Factbook2025The Norfolk State University Fact Book and Fact Sheet are published annually by the Office of Institutional Research, covering years from 2021 to 2025. It serves as a clearinghouse for survey data for both internal and external audiences and provides official data to the state of Virginia for federal compliance purposes.nsu.edu
- Strategic planNSU Strategic Plan 2019-20252019Norfolk State University's Strategic Plan for 2019-2025 aims to position the institution as a leading HBCU in modern education. Focusing on student success, academic excellence, innovation, and community engagement, the plan outlines concrete steps to enhance infrastructure, expand research, and build strong community partnerships. By doing so, the university seeks to honor its heritage while driving forward-looking initiatives for future growth.nsu.edu
Notable alumni of Norfolk State (13)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Lamont BagbyPolitics
- Willard BaileyAthletics
- Gordon BanksMusic
- Karen BriggsMusic
- Vincent Brothers
- Maia ChakaSports
- Denise DowseEntertainment
- Georgia M. DunstonScience
- Evelyn J. FieldsScience
- Jedidah IslerAstrophysics
- Jawn MurrayJournalism
- Tim ReidEntertainment
Frequently asked questions about Norfolk State University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Norfolk State.
What is the graduation rate at Norfolk State University?
How many students attend Norfolk State University?
What is the average net price at Norfolk State University?
What is the yield rate at Norfolk State University?
Where is Norfolk State University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Norfolk State University?
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about Norfolk 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