More selective than 9% of Kansas colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $21,967. College Scorecard.
Higher than 78% of Kansas colleges we cover and 54% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 22% of Kansas colleges we cover and 33% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Emporia State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 1,592 applicants, Emporia State University admitted 1,556 and 409 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Emporia State University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Kansas residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Emporia State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Emporia State University took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Kansas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $11,452 | $49,816 | 3.7 years |
| $30–48k | $11,905 | $51,787 | 3.9 years |
| $48–75k | $14,229 | $61,896 | 4.6 years |
| $75–110k | $18,994 | $82,624 | 6.2 years |
| $110k+ | $19,531 | $84,960 | 6.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (39% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($47,601) minus $34,216 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KS (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $13,385 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Emporia State University majors, earnings & careers
Emporia State University offers 38 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 8
- Science & Math · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Humanities & Languages · 5
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at Emporia State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $71,002 | $24,440 |
| Human Resources | $68,568 | $21,257 |
| Information Science / Studies | $67,263 | $19,237 |
| Accounting | $65,271 | $20,000 |
| Biology | $65,043 | $22,895 |
| Business Administration | $60,719 | $16,938 |
| Marketing | $55,527 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $53,022 | $19,500 |
Quick list of all 38 majors
- Accounting$65,271
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$65,043
- Business Administration$60,719
- Chemistry—
- Communications$45,003
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Criminal Justice$48,574
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$46,195
- Education (Subject Teaching)$50,458
- English$45,292
- Entrepreneurship—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- History—
- Human Resources$68,568
- Information Science / Studies$67,263
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$50,717
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$55,527
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Nursing$71,002
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$46,887
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$53,022
- Public Health$48,325
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences$46,445
- Social Sciences—
- Sociology$45,661
- Studio Art$34,355
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Education (Subject Teaching) → High school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Emporia
2 bedrooms $961.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 37 inches of rain a year, 16 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Lyon County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Lyon County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Emporia State University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Kansas by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emporia State University | 98% | $16,261 | 56% | $47,601 | This school |
| Pittsburg State University | 89% | $15,784 | 57% | $50,579 | |
| Haskell Indian Nations University | 90% | $3,134 | 18% | $37,043 | |
| Washburn University | — | $15,280 | 53% | $49,774 | |
| Fort Hays State University | 90% | $12,569 | 48% | $48,928 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Emporia State University would cost you $477 more per year than Pittsburg State University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Emporia State University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$1,294).
- Pittsburg State University gives aided families $609 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Kansas resident | Emporia State University | Pittsburg State University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $7,106 | $8,400 | −$1,294 |
| Books & supplies | $1,160 | $1,200 | −$40 |
| Housing & meals | $10,542 | $9,398 | +$1,144 |
| Personal & travel | $4,248 | $5,396 | −$1,148 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,089 | −$2,295 | +$1,206 |
| Sticker price | $21,967 | $22,099 | −$132 |
| Average grants | −$5,706 | −$6,315 | +$609 |
| You pay | $16,261 | $15,784 | +$477 |
“+” means Emporia State University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Emporia State University
What is the Emporia State University acceptance rate?
Emporia State University accepts 98% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,556 of 1,592 applicants were admitted.
How much does Emporia State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $21,967 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,261 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,452 and families earning $110k+ pay $19,531.
How much do Emporia State University graduates earn?
Former Emporia State University students earn a median $47,601 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Emporia State University graduation rate?
56% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 77% return for their second year.
How long does a Emporia State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Emporia State University costs about $61,896 after grants ($14,229 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $47,601 ten years after starting, $13,385 more than high school graduates in Kansas ($34,216), so the cost is repaid in 4.6 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Emporia State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/emporia-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).