Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Austin Peay State University

Students comparing Austin Peay State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Clarksville, Tennessee7,560 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 28Public universityUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

Austin Peay State University: U.S. News ranks it #31 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #560 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #636 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 7,560 undergraduates, admits 96.4% of applicants, and posts a 40.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $14,766; aid recipients pay $9,735 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,301.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
96.4%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$9,735

65% below the $28,196 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$44,301

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
40.2%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$20,547

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
843–1126

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Austin Peay ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (South)#31of 135Regional univ. (South)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#560of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#636of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Austin Peay's position moves 14 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Austin Peay

Austin Peay State University is a public institution in Clarksville, Tennessee. Federal data show 70.0% first-year retention and a 15:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $9,735 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $28,196 sticker cost against $9,735 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Austin Peay State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$9,006

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$14,766

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$13,430

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $28,196 a year, but the average family pays $9,735 — a 65% difference. 43.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Austin Peay's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    15:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    70.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    7,560

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Austin Peay: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $14,766 and on-campus room and board is $13,430, for a published total of $28,196 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $9,735.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 96.4%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Baltimore

    Baltimore, MDPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Baltimore: U.S. News ranks it #84 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #235 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #574 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,133 undergraduates, admits 78.7% of applicants, and posts a 38.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $23,984; aid recipients pay $13,868 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,335.

    Acceptance rate
    78.7%
    Average net price
    $13,868
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $61,335
    6-yr graduation rate
    38.2%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#84 of 170Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#235 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#574 of 2,605

    1,133 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 29 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Fayetteville State University

    Fayetteville, NCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Fayetteville State University: U.S. News ranks it #62 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #297 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #414 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 5,762 undergraduates, admits 82.2% of applicants, and posts a 38.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $8,353; aid recipients pay $7,892 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $40,144.

    Acceptance rate
    82.2%
    Average net price
    $7,892
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $40,144
    6-yr graduation rate
    38.5%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#62 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#297 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#414 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    5,762 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 27 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Winston-Salem State University

    Winston-Salem, NCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Winston-Salem State University: U.S. News ranks it #232 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #311 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #374 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 4,170 undergraduates, admits 78.3% of applicants, and posts a 46.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $16,782; aid recipients pay $13,479 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $45,344.

    Acceptance rate
    78.3%
    Average net price
    $13,479
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $45,344
    6-yr graduation rate
    46.7%
    US News · National universities#232 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#311 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#374 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    4,170 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 29 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Austin Peay against these