Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Worcester State University

Worcester, Massachusetts·Public, 4-year or above·New England·worcester.edu
6-yr Graduation
61%
+7.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
5,745
peer median 5,819
Avg net price
$14,738
-$2.6k 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
5,156
5,156 candidates competed
Admitted
4,537
88.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
756
16.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
61%+7.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
48%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
61%
Full-time retention
78%

Pell equity

11.0pp gap
Pell recipients
54%
Non-Pell
65%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.0-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 73 Title IV programs, 25 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 47 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
73
Passing
25
34.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.4% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.4%
+0.8pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

73programs
  • Passing25 · 34.2%
  • No Data47 · 64.4%
  • Failing1 · 1.4%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
2
Watch
4
Safe
19
No data
47

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
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-1.0%
$39,037 vs $39,449
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+0.8%
$62,355 vs $61,854
Geography and Cartography
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+4.1%
$41,054 vs $39,449
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+10.1%
$43,416 vs $39,449
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+21.1%
$81,000 vs $66,899
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+21.1%
$47,754 vs $39,449
Urban Studies/Affairs
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+22.7%
$48,387 vs $39,449
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+28.0%
$50,511 vs $39,449

Near the line (±5%)

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

3
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-1.0%
$412
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+0.8%
+$501
Geography and Cartography
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+4.1%
+$1,605

Debt vs earnings

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

20
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
46%
$20,000 debt · $43,416 earn
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences Other
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
41%
$22,000 debt · $54,245 earn
Mathematics
Bachelor Degree · Mathematics And Statistics
39%
$22,553 debt · $57,434 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
39%
$20,422 debt · $52,337 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
38%
$19,000 debt · $50,511 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
37%
$21,448 debt · $58,126 earn
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
35%
$22,125 debt · $63,505 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
35%
$19,753 debt · $57,244 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1957Next review Jun 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 8

Action history · 7

  1. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  2. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
  3. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  4. Apr 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
  5. Aug 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree

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$9,035
$30–48k$10,061
$48–75k$12,665
$75–110k$17,378
$110k+$19,939

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

Avg net price
$14,738
-$2,596vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $17,334
Federal loans
47.6%
In-state tuition
$11,286
Out-of-state
$17,366

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,771 students received $9.5M in Pell grants, alongside $17.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,771
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$9.5M
$9,462,803 total
Direct Loans
$17.3M
3,595 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

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

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$4.5M
1,333 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$7.2M
1,789 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.0M
272 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.6M
201 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 1,382 borrowers who entered repayment, 36 (2.6%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.6%
+0.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,382
Defaulted
36
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
5.9%
2017
6.2%
2018
4.4%
2019
2.6%
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 Worcester State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs88
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,064 total completions
01Health Professions
21820.5%
02Education
19017.9%
03Business
18517.4%
04Psychology
14213.3%
05Security/Protective
847.9%
06Biological Sciences
787.3%
07Communication
535.0%
08Social Sciences
504.7%
09Liberal Arts
323.0%
10English Language
323.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
5,745
12-mo unduplicated
7,785
Undergraduate
5,813
Graduate
1,972

Gender split

Men
35%2,744
Women
65%5,041

Race / ethnicity composition

White
60.9%
Hispanic
17.9%
Black
8.8%
Asian
5.6%
Two or more
2.9%
Unknown
2.1%
Non-resident
1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
423
247 M · 176 W
Women athletes
41.6%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$2.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$3K
$3K
Head-coach salaries
$14K
$17K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Football
93 M ·
$236K
Soccer
29 M · 28 W
$105K
Ice Hockey
30 M · 25 W
$407K
Track and Field (Indoor)
25 M · 23 W
$46K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
25 M · 22 W
$47K
Baseball
38 M ·
$163K

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
2.45
13 offenses · 5,311 students

3-year trend

2.622 yrs ago2.401 yr ago2.45Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
41
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

Rape
6
Fondling
5
Murder
1
Burglary
1

By location

13total
  • On campus13

Includes 12 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
2
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs026
Liquor082

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
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
190

Worcester State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Worcester 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
SubjectWorcester State University
61%5,745$14,738Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Salem State University
50%95.9%6,230$18,441Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Fitchburg State University
55%86.9%5,892$15,432Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Framingham State University
48%83.6%4,002$16,698Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Westfield State University
54%81.4%4,588$18,561Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Bridgewater State University
53%87.8%9,727$17,970Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median54%86.9%5,819$17,334

Frequently asked questions about Worcester State University

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

What is the graduation rate at Worcester State University?

Worcester State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 61% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Worcester State University?

Worcester State University reports a total enrollment of 5,745 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Worcester State University?

The average net price at Worcester State University is $14,738 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Worcester State University?

Worcester State University's yield rate is 16.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Worcester State University located?

Worcester State University is located in Worcester, Massachusetts 01602-2597.

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