R2 ResearchPublic

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·wichita.edu
6-yr Graduation
51%
-4.5pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
16,689
peer median 14,854
Avg net price
$13,194
-$1.1k vs R2 Research
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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
9,916
9,916 candidates competed
Admitted
9,316
93.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,871
20.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
51%-4.5pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
33%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
51%
Full-time retention
69%

Pell equity

7.0pp gap
Pell recipients
47%329 of 699
Non-Pell (all)
54%510 of 945
Subsidized loan, no Pell
59%165 of 280
No Federal Aid
52%345 of 665

Non-Pell students graduate at a 7.0-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 231 Title IV programs, 61 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 170 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
231
Passing
61
26.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

231programs
  • Passing61 · 26.4%
  • No Data170 · 73.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
4
Safe
55
No data
170

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.

61
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+7.8%
$36,723 vs $34,058
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.7%
$37,012 vs $34,058
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+10.4%
$37,604 vs $34,058
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+14.4%
$61,406 vs $53,672
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+20.7%
$58,288 vs $48,304
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+24.6%
$42,450 vs $34,058
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+25.3%
$42,690 vs $34,058
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Master's Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+26.5%
$52,823 vs $41,770

Debt vs earnings

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

52
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
86%
$69,334 debt · $80,257 earn
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$24,979 debt · $37,012 earn
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Master's Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
67%
$35,521 debt · $52,823 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
66%
$40,411 debt · $61,406 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
65%
$24,300 debt · $37,604 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
65%
$38,400 debt · $59,508 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
62%
$26,250 debt · $42,450 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
61%
$75,849 debt · $123,921 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1934Next review Aug 2027
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1927

Programmatic accreditations · 15

Action history · 19

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  2. Jul 2025Deferral of Action
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
  3. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Clinical doctoral program in Audiology
  4. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  5. Apr 2023Renewal 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$9,734
$30–48k$9,696
$48–75k$13,564
$75–110k$16,893
$110k+$19,184

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

Avg net price
$13,194
-$1,062vs R2 Research median $14,256
Federal loans
31.7%
In-state tuition
$9,684
Out-of-state
$19,869

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, 5,149 students received $28.7M in Pell grants, alongside $50.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
5,149
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$28.7M
$28,681,688 total
Direct Loans
$50.5M
8,242 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

4k
’20
4k
’21
4k
’22
4k
’23
5k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$13.7M
3,425 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$14.6M
3,345 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$15.7M
1,045 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.1M
278 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.4M
149 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 3,153 borrowers who entered repayment, 51 (1.6%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.6%
-0.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,153
Defaulted
51
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.5%
2017
7.8%
2018
5.6%
2019
1.6%
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 Wichita State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs171
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,177 total completions
01Business
68821.7%
02Health Professions
49915.7%
03Education
46514.6%
04Engineering
38112.0%
05Liberal Arts
3029.5%
06Computer Sciences
2287.2%
07Visual/Performing Arts
2036.4%
08Biological Sciences
1534.8%
09Psychology
1454.6%
10Public Admin
1133.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
16,689
12-mo unduplicated
19,259
Undergraduate
14,986
Graduate
4,273

Gender split

Men
41%7,968
Women
59%11,291

Race / ethnicity composition

White
54.3%
Hispanic
18.1%
Asian
7.8%
Black
7.1%
Two or more
5.6%
Non-resident
4.7%
Unknown
1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
287
134 M · 153 W
Women athletes
53.3%
Athletic aid
$4.8M
Total student aid
Budget
$35.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.9M
$2.8M
Recruiting expense
$289K
$255K
Head-coach salaries
$383K
$128K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
111 M · 143 W
$2.9M
Baseball
49 M · —
$3.2M
Basketball
15 M · 23 W
$9.7M
Volleyball
— · 22 W
$1.4M
Softball
— · 21 W
$2.1M
Tennis
10 M · 8 W
$1.4M

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
1.61
27 offenses · 16,741 students

3-year trend

0.452 yrs ago1.171 yr ago1.61Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
53
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
47
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
7
Burglary
7
Motor vehicle theft
7
Fondling
4
Arson
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

27total
  • On campus26
  • Non-campus1

Includes 11 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

7
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
10
Stalking
17 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs42
Liquor126

Residence-hall fires

  • Shocker Hall1 fire
    2 residents burned roommates door decoration in the showerDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
19.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
565

Wichita State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Wichita 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
SubjectWichita State University
51%—16,689$13,194R2 Research
University of North Dakota
61%76.9%15,019$18,551R2 Research
University of Nebraska at Omaha
49%87.0%14,972$13,441R2 Research
University of Missouri-St Louis
57%62.7%14,736$15,071R2 Research
University of Missouri-Kansas City
54%72.2%14,732$13,310R2 Research
South Dakota State University
62%98.3%12,056$19,841R2 Research
Peer group median55%76.9%14,854$14,256

Institutions like Wichita State

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

IPEDS

Wichita State Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Planning & Analysis
Phone
316-978-3456
Address
1845 Fairmount St., Wichita, Kansas 67260, USA

The University community has three managed data systems from which to obtain information related to data for decision-making, planning and reporting.

Visit IR office page
Team
5 members
  • Lee Ann Birdwell
    Faculty Compliance Specialist
  • Whitney Crager
    Senior Research Analyst and Qualtrics Administrator
  • Tiffany Franks
    Assistant Director and Senior Research Analyst
  • David Smith
    Senior Research Analyst
  • Dr. David Wright
    Chief Data Officer

Common Data Set

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

Acceptance rate
68.1%
Accessible
Yield
31.6%
of admitted students enroll
Student–faculty ratio
15 to 1
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
8,438
Admitted
5,743
Enrolled
1,816

8,438 applied → 5,743 admitted (68.1%) → 1,816 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
68.1%

Accessible — 68.1% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
Men68.3%
Women67.9%

Admit rates are similar across genders (Women 67.9%, Men 68.3%).

SAT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
960
Median
1100
75th
1240

Middle 50% SAT 960–1240 (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 10%18.6%
Top 25%42.8%
Top Half79.3%
Bottom Half20.7%
Bottom 25%6.5%

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

02

Affordability & Value

Where grant aid comes from

H1
federal69.5%
institutional20.4%
state9.1%
external0.9%

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

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
56%
Avg debt
$24,008

56% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $24,008 on average.

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students424
10-19 students381
20-29 students389
30-39 students223
40-49 students72
50-99 students125
100+ students16

49% of classes have under 20 students; 9% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
15 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
55%
Women faculty
55%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Business/marketing17.3%
Education15.5%
Health professions and related programs15%
Engineering11.3%
Psychology5.8%
Visual and performing arts5.5%
Biological/life sciences4.7%
Computer and information sciences3.9%

STEM-dominant: ~24% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

04

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
1,809
Admitted
1,538
Enrolled
1,035

1,809 transfer applicants → 1,538 admitted (85.0%) → 1,035 enrolled

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Wichita State University

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

What is the graduation rate at Wichita State University?

Wichita State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 51% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Wichita State University?

Wichita State University reports a total enrollment of 16,689 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Wichita State University?

The average net price at Wichita State University is $13,194 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Wichita State University?

Wichita State University's yield rate is 20.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Wichita State University located?

Wichita State University is located in Wichita, Kansas 67260-0124.

Who runs Institutional Research at Wichita State University?

Wichita State University's IR work is done by the Office of Planning & Analysis.

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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