More selective than 35% 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 $19,909. College Scorecard.
Higher than 52% of Kansas colleges we cover and 38% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 30% of Kansas colleges we cover and 38% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
FHSU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 2,174 applicants, Fort Hays State University admitted 1,995 and 886 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 970–1140 on the SAT or 18–24 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
FHSU 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 FHSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Fort Hays State University took 4.4 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 | $7,661 | $33,632 | 2.3 years |
| $30–48k | $9,776 | $42,917 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $11,941 | $52,421 | 3.6 years |
| $75–110k | $14,266 | $62,628 | 4.3 years |
| $110k+ | $16,641 | $73,054 | 5.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (33% 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 ($48,928) minus $34,216 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KS (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $14,712 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.
FHSU majors, earnings & careers
Fort Hays State University offers 50 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 12
- Science & Math · 8
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Education · 3
- Engineering · 3
- Arts & Design · 2
- Communications & Media · 2
Highest-earning majors at FHSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $79,957 | $24,726 |
| Computer Programming | $73,380 | $28,000 |
| Political Science | $72,384 | $30,468 |
| Information Science / Studies | $67,823 | $26,427 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | $65,526 | $26,564 |
| Finance | $64,524 | $19,520 |
| Accounting | $63,148 | $26,000 |
| Marketing | $62,261 | $31,000 |
Quick list of all 50 majors
- Accounting$63,148
- Agricultural Business$58,520
- Agriculture—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$58,463
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$58,355
- Business—
- Business / Corporate Communications—
- Business Administration$61,153
- Business Operations Support and Assistant Services—
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other$65,526
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Programming$73,380
- Criminal Justice$55,790
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$45,190
- Education (Subject Teaching)$53,945
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- English—
- English Language and Literature / Letters, Other—
- Finance$64,524
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other—
- History—
- Hospitality Management—
- Industrial Engineering—
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- Information Science / Studies$67,823
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$53,176
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems—
- Marketing$62,261
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Nursing$79,957
- Philosophy—
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Political Science$72,384
- Psychology$51,898
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Social Work$53,549
- Sociology$44,405
- Software and Media Applications—
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$50,246
- Studio Art$39,280
— 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 Hays
2 bedrooms $1,036.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 24 inches of rain a year, 16 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Ellis County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Ellis County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare FHSU 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Hays State University | 90% | $12,569 | 48% | $48,928 | This school |
| Wichita State University | 94% | $13,194 | 51% | $51,532 | |
| Pittsburg State University | 89% | $15,784 | 57% | $50,579 | |
| Emporia State University | 98% | $16,261 | 56% | $47,601 | |
| Kansas State University | 82% | $19,406 | 71% | $57,262 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Fort Hays State University would cost you $625 less per year than Wichita State University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Fort Hays State University, mostly from lower housing & meal costs (−$5,018).
- Wichita State University gives aided families $1,246 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Kansas resident | FHSU | WSU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $5,923 | $9,684 | −$3,761 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,250 | −$250 |
| Housing & meals | $8,772 | $13,790 | −$5,018 |
| Personal & travel | $4,972 | $3,450 | +$1,522 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$758 | −$6,394 | +$5,636 |
| Sticker price | $19,909 | $21,780 | −$1,871 |
| Average grants | −$7,340 | −$8,586 | +$1,246 |
| You pay | $12,569 | $13,194 | −$625 |
“+” means FHSU 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 FHSU
What is the FHSU acceptance rate?
Fort Hays State University accepts 90% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,995 of 2,174 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 970–1140 on the SAT or 18–24 on the ACT.
How much does Fort Hays State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $19,909 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $12,569 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,661 and families earning $110k+ pay $16,641.
How much do FHSU graduates earn?
Former Fort Hays State University students earn a median $48,928 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the FHSU graduation rate?
48% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 77% return for their second year.
How long does a FHSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Fort Hays State University costs about $52,421 after grants ($11,941 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $48,928 ten years after starting, $14,712 more than high school graduates in Kansas ($34,216), so the cost is repaid in 3.6 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: “Fort Hays State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/fort-hays-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).