Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Emporia State University

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

CompareOfficial site
Emporia, Kansas2,239 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 34Public universitySmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Emporia State University: U.S. News ranks it #82 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #545 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #385 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,239 undergraduates, admits 97.7% of applicants, and posts a 56.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $15,419; aid recipients pay $16,261 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $47,601.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
97.7%

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
$16,261

38% below the $26,369 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
$47,601

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
56.1%

About the dataset median

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

Median debt at graduation
$19,500

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%
Not reportedEmporia State University did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Emporia State 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 (Midwest)#82of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#545of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B+#385of 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: Emporia State's position moves 35 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. 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 Emporia State

Emporia State University is a public institution in Emporia, Kansas. Federal data show 76.8% first-year retention and a 17:1 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 $16,261 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 $26,369 sticker cost against $16,261 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 Emporia 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
$7,106

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

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$15,419

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

Room & board
$10,950

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $26,369 a year, but the average family pays $16,261 — a 38% difference. 34.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Emporia State'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
    17:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    76.8%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    2,239

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

    Emporia State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $15,419 and on-campus room and board is $10,950, for a published total of $26,369 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $16,261.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 97.7%. 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.

    Indiana University-East

    Richmond, INPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Indiana University-East: U.S. News ranks it #109 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #332 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #250 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 2,589 undergraduates, admits 67.2% of applicants, and posts a 39.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,811; aid recipients pay $8,134 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $47,156.

    Acceptance rate
    67.2%
    Average net price
    $8,134
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $47,156
    6-yr graduation rate
    39.6%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#109 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#332 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#250 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    2,589 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Valley City State University

    Valley City, NDPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Valley City State University: U.S. News ranks it #24 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #964 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #369 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 958 undergraduates, admits 99.1% of applicants, and posts a 53.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $13,544; aid recipients pay $11,890 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,725.

    Acceptance rate
    99.1%
    Average net price
    $11,890
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $52,725
    6-yr graduation rate
    53.3%
    US News · Regional colleges (Midwest)#24 of 94Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#964 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#369 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    958 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 35 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Indiana University-Kokomo

    Kokomo, INPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Indiana University-Kokomo: U.S. News ranks it #118 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #308 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #404 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,352 undergraduates, admits 86.5% of applicants, and posts a 45.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,811; aid recipients pay $3,968 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,917.

    Acceptance rate
    86.5%
    Average net price
    $3,968
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $49,917
    6-yr graduation rate
    45.6%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#118 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#308 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#404 of 2,605

    2,352 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 36 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Emporia State against these