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
$15,784
-$229 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
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.

IPEDS
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

17.4pp gap
Pell recipients
46%166 of 364
Non-Pell (all)
63%371 of 585
Subsidized loan, no Pell
60%204 of 342
No Federal Aid
69%167 of 243

Non-Pell students graduate at a 17.4-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 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.

DAPIP
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.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$11,968
$30–48k$11,453
$48–75k$14,676
$75–110k$18,873
$110k+$20,237

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

Avg net price
$15,784
-$229vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $16,013
Federal loans
41.5%
In-state tuition
$8,400
Out-of-state
$19,744

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, 1,708 students received $9.3M in Pell grants, alongside $16.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,708
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$9.3M
$9,345,193 total
Direct Loans
$16.6M
3,171 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
1,208 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$5.1M
1,310 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.0M
463 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.8M
175 loan awards
Grad PLUS$80K
15 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 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.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs83
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,937 total completions
01Liberal Arts
62732.4%
02Business
43522.5%
03Education
26913.9%
04Engineering Tech
23812.3%
05Health Professions
1387.1%
06Parks/Recreation
613.1%
07Psychology
552.8%
08Biological Sciences
412.1%
09Physical Sciences
371.9%
10Communication
361.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
5,755
12-mo unduplicated
6,813
Undergraduate
4,991
Graduate
1,822

Gender split

Men
46%3,143
Women
54%3,670

Race / ethnicity composition

White
77.6%
Hispanic
8.0%
Two or more
6.5%
Black
3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.6%
Non-resident
1.6%
Asian
0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%
Unknown
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
307
168 M · 139 W
Women athletes
45.3%
Athletic aid
$3.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$12.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.9M
$1.2M
Recruiting expense
$111K
$58K
Head-coach salaries
$155K
$102K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
168 M · 139 W
$1.7M
Football
134 M · —
$3.3M
Baseball
48 M · —
$680K
Soccer
— · 40 W
$838K
Basketball
14 M · 13 W
$1.9M
Softball
— · 20 W
$554K

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
2.45
14 offenses · 5,722 students

3-year trend

1.992 yrs ago2.561 yr ago2.45Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
41
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
20
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
5
Burglary
5
Aggravated assault
2
Robbery
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

14total
  • On campus9
  • Non-campus4
  • Public property1

Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

3
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
5
Stalking
10 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs318
Liquor461

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

Pittsburg State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Pittsburg 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
SubjectPittsburg State University
57%—5,755$15,784Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Emporia State University
56%97.7%4,557$16,261Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Fort Hays State University
46%90.3%12,878$12,569Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Nebraska at Kearney
57%89.5%5,881$16,242Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Wayne State College
52%—4,666$15,360Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Minnesota State University Moorhead
57%58.8%4,386$17,997Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median56%89.9%5,211$16,013

Institutions like Pittsburg State

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

IPEDS

Pittsburg State Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Reports to Institutional Effectiveness
Phone
620-231-7000
Address
1701 South Broadway Street, Pittsburg KS, 66762

Pittsburg State Institutional Research provides official, accurate, timely and unbiased information and analysis to facilitate evidence-based decision-making.

Visit IR office page
Team
2 members
  • Tammy Higgins
    Director of Institutional Research
  • Bill Hoyt
    Director of Analytics

Common Data Set

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

Acceptance rate
87.3%
Accessible
Yield
25.2%
of admitted students enroll
Total enrollment
5,774
4,491 UG · 1,283 grad
Student–faculty ratio
14 to 1
Est. net price (aided)
$16,056
after avg need-based grant
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
4,085
Admitted
3,565
Enrolled
897

4,085 applied → 3,565 admitted (87.3%) → 897 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
87.3%

Accessible — 87.3% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
men88.9%
women86.0%

Admit rate varies by gender.

ACT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
17
Median
20
75th
24

Middle 50% ACT 17–24 (median 20).

High-school class rank

C10

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

What matters in admission

C7
Considered4
Rigor of secondary school recordClass rankAcademic GPAStandardized test scores
Not Considered14
Application 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$23,938
Tuition
$6,53227%
Fees
$2,0589%
Room & board
$10,50244%
Books
$1,2005%
Other
$3,64615%

Total sticker cost of attendance is $23,938 (2025-2026).

Sticker vs. net price

G+H
Sticker COA
$23,938
Net (aided)
$16,056
Avg need grant
$7,882

Sticker $23,938 → about $16,056 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($7,882); 48% of demonstrated need is met.

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Federal56.9%
State all states, not only the state in which your institution is located16.1%
Institutional: Endowed scholarships, annual gifts and tuition funded grants, awarded by the college, excluding athletic aid and tuition waivers (which are reported below).16.0%
Scholarships/grants from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) not awarded by the college11.0%

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

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
45%
Avg debt
$6,188

45% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $6,188 on average.

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students510
10-19 students428
20-29 students324
30-39 students125
40-49 students57
50-99 students45
100+ students5

63% of classes have under 20 students; 3% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
14 to 1
Women faculty
50%

Key faculty indicators.

04

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic76.8%
Hispanic/Latino7.7%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic6.4%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic3.1%
Nonresidents3.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic1.6%
Asian, non-Hispanic1.0%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.3%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown0.2%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
133
Share
3%

3% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
4,49178%
Graduate
1,28322%

4,491 undergraduates and 1,283 graduate students.

05

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
516
Admitted
466
Enrolled
466

516 transfer applicants → 466 admitted (90.3%) → 466 enrolled

Source publications

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 $15,784 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.

Who runs Institutional Research at Pittsburg State University?

Pittsburg State University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research, which reports to Institutional Effectiveness.

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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