Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

University of Nebraska at Kearney

Kearney, Nebraska·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·unk.edu
6-yr Graduation
58%
+4.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
5,881
peer median 5,211
Avg net price
$16,488
+$393 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
5,283
5,283 candidates competed
Admitted
4,728
89.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
875
18.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
58%+4.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
36%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
57%
Full-time retention
80%

Pell equity

3.0pp gap
Pell recipients
54%
Non-Pell
57%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.0-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 69 Title IV programs, 30 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 39 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
69
Passing
30
43.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

69programs
  • Passing30 · 43.5%
  • No Data39 · 56.5%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
5
Safe
25
No data
39

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.

30
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+13.1%
$60,698 vs $53,672
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+14.1%
$41,180 vs $36,082
History
Master's Degree · History
+15.8%
$62,153 vs $53,672
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+16.2%
$41,922 vs $36,082
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+23.8%
$44,687 vs $36,082
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+31.9%
$47,600 vs $36,082
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+31.9%
$47,590 vs $36,082
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+31.9%
$56,621 vs $42,937

Debt vs earnings

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

23
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
68%
$38,406 debt · $56,621 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
60%
$36,099 debt · $60,698 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
53%
$21,922 debt · $41,180 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
52%
$23,000 debt · $44,687 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
46%
$24,213 debt · $53,203 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
45%
$21,321 debt · $47,590 earn
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
45%
$23,000 debt · $51,659 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
44%
$18,314 debt · $41,922 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1916Next review Aug 2034

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 7

  1. Aug 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education · Montessori Education (MACTE) - Montessori teacher education programs and institutions
  2. Jul 2025Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education · Montessori Education (MACTE) - Montessori teacher education programs and institutions
  3. Jul 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education · Montessori Education (MACTE) - Montessori teacher education programs and institutions
  4. Feb 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  5. Jul 2020Approved for Distance Education
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs

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$13,187
$30–48k$13,627
$48–75k$14,549
$75–110k$18,575
$110k+$20,731

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

Avg net price
$16,488
+$393vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $16,095
Federal loans
37.1%
In-state tuition
$8,302
Out-of-state
$14,260

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,832 students received $10.5M in Pell grants, alongside $17.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,832
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$10.5M
$10,514,209 total
Direct Loans
$17.6M
3,023 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

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

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$4.5M
1,162 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$5.2M
1,229 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$6.2M
497 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.5M
127 loan awards
Grad PLUS$123K
8 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 1,416 borrowers who entered repayment, 10 (0.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.7%
-1.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,416
Defaulted
10
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.6%
2017
4.3%
2018
3.1%
2019
0.7%
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 UNK

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs44
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,218 total completions
01Education
50941.8%
02Business
18615.3%
03Biological Sciences
957.8%
04Health Professions
937.6%
05Parks/Recreation
746.1%
06Visual/Performing Arts
665.4%
07History
594.8%
08Psychology
473.9%
09English Language
453.7%
10Liberal Arts
443.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
5,881
12-mo unduplicated
7,218
Undergraduate
4,666
Graduate
2,552

Gender split

Men
34%2,457
Women
66%4,761

Race / ethnicity composition

White
73.3%
Hispanic
15.2%
Non-resident
4.5%
Black
2.7%
Two or more
2.6%
Asian
0.8%
Unknown
0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
449
271 M · 178 W
Women athletes
39.6%
Athletic aid
$2.7M
Total student aid
Budget
$10.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.6M
$1.1M
Recruiting expense
$49K
$34K
Head-coach salaries
$83K
$71K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
166 M · 115 W
$825K
Football
140 M ·
$2.2M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
· 66 W
$256K
Golf
· 44 W
$185K
Wrestling
41 M ·
$645K
Basketball
14 M · 16 W
$1.3M

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
1.32
8 offenses · 6,041 students

3-year trend

1.932 yrs ago1.271 yr ago1.32Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
28
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
15
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
3
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
2
Burglary
2
Fondling
2
Aggravated assault
2

By location

8total
  • On campus8

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

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
6
Stalking
6 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • National origin1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs30
Liquor2033

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 4 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
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
285

UNK vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions UNK 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
SubjectUniversity of Nebraska at Kearney
58%5,881$16,488Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Wayne State College
52%4,666$15,108Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Pittsburg State University
51%89.4%5,755$18,889Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Emporia State University
56%97.7%4,557$15,702Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Minnesota State University Moorhead
57%58.8%4,386$17,816Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southwest Minnesota State University
44%62.2%8,214$14,760Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median54%75.8%5,211$16,095

Frequently asked questions about University of Nebraska at Kearney

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UNK.

What is the graduation rate at University of Nebraska at Kearney?

University of Nebraska at Kearney reports a 6-year graduation rate of 58% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of Nebraska at Kearney?

University of Nebraska at Kearney reports a total enrollment of 5,881 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of Nebraska at Kearney?

The average net price at University of Nebraska at Kearney is $16,488 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of Nebraska at Kearney?

University of Nebraska at Kearney's yield rate is 18.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of Nebraska at Kearney located?

University of Nebraska at Kearney is located in Kearney, Nebraska 68849-1212.

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