Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·pittstate.edu
6-yr Graduation
57%
+0.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
5,755
peer median 5,211
Avg net price
$18,889
+$2.8k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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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
3,138
3,138 candidates competed
Admitted
2,806
89.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
895
31.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
57%+0.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
36%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
51%
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

14.0pp gap
Pell recipients
46%
Non-Pell
60%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 14.0-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 94 Title IV programs, 26 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 68 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
94
Passing
26
27.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

94programs
  • Passing26 · 27.7%
  • No Data68 · 72.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
5
Safe
20
No data
68

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.

26
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+0.8%
$34,318 vs $34,058
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+17.3%
$39,946 vs $34,058
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+17.5%
$52,964 vs $45,084
Psychology General
Master's Degree · Psychology
+17.6%
$57,192 vs $48,653
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+24.9%
$56,313 vs $45,084
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
+24.9%
$56,317 vs $45,084
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+27.6%
$43,465 vs $34,058
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+34.9%
$45,940 vs $34,058

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+0.8%
+$260

Debt vs earnings

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

21
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
66%
$22,593 debt · $34,318 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
54%
$24,789 debt · $45,940 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
51%
$23,868 debt · $46,931 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
50%
$21,875 debt · $43,465 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
50%
$26,509 debt · $52,964 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
47%
$25,211 debt · $53,878 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
43%
$20,875 debt · $48,757 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
42%
$20,500 debt · $49,023 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1915Next review Aug 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 6

  1. Feb 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Aug 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
  3. May 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  4. May 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
  5. May 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels

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$17,392
$30–48k$17,369
$48–75k$18,833
$75–110k$20,287
$110k+$19,715

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

Avg net price
$18,889
+$2,794vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $16,095
Federal loans
44.5%
In-state tuition
$8,008
Out-of-state
$19,692

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,705 students received $9.3M in Pell grants, alongside $16.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,705
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$9.3M
$9,342,627 total
Direct Loans
$16.5M
3,160 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$4.6M
1,202 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$5.1M
1,308 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.0M
461 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.8M
175 loan awards
Grad PLUS$75K
14 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 1,647 borrowers who entered repayment, 31 (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
1,647
Defaulted
31
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
9.7%
2017
9.4%
2018
6.4%
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 Pittsburg State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs82
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,717 total completions
01Liberal Arts
1,37050.4%
02Business
40314.8%
03Education
32612.0%
04Engineering Tech
2378.7%
05Health Professions
1184.3%
06Psychology
923.4%
07Biological Sciences
552.0%
08Parks/Recreation
481.8%
09Communication
341.3%
10Comm. Technologies
341.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
5,755
12-mo unduplicated
6,816
Undergraduate
4,937
Graduate
1,879

Gender split

Men
47%3,188
Women
53%3,628

Race / ethnicity composition

White
79.0%
Hispanic
7.4%
Two or more
6.4%
Black
3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.5%
Non-resident
1.4%
Asian
0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%
Unknown
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
372
266 M · 106 W
Women athletes
28.5%
Athletic aid
$2.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$11.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.7M
$645K
Recruiting expense
$93K
$53K
Head-coach salaries
$166K
$87K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 6

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
165 M · 117 W
$1.5M
Football
120 M ·
$3.3M
Baseball
52 M ·
$671K
Basketball
14 M · 12 W
$1.6M
Softball
· 23 W
$644K
Volleyball
· 18 W
$483K

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
2.56
15 offenses · 5,858 students

3-year trend

0.942 yrs ago1.991 yr ago2.56Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
33
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
11
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
6
Rape
4
Motor vehicle theft
4
Burglary
1

By location

15total
  • On campus9
  • Non-campus4
  • Public property2

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

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
3
Dating violence
5
Stalking
9 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs60
Liquor150

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.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
265

Pittsburg State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Pittsburg 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
SubjectPittsburg State University
57%5,755$18,889Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Emporia State University
56%97.7%4,557$15,702Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Fort Hays State University
46%90.3%12,878$13,493Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Nebraska at Kearney
57%89.5%5,881$16,488Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Wayne State College
52%4,666$15,108Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Minnesota State University Moorhead
57%58.8%4,386$17,816Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median56%89.9%5,211$16,095

Frequently asked questions about Pittsburg State University

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

What is the graduation rate at Pittsburg State University?

Pittsburg State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 57% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Pittsburg State University?

Pittsburg State University reports a total enrollment of 5,755 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Pittsburg State University?

The average net price at Pittsburg State University is $18,889 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Pittsburg State University?

Pittsburg State University's yield rate is 31.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Pittsburg State University located?

Pittsburg State University is located in Pittsburg, Kansas 66762.

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