More selective than 9% of Connecticut colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $29,673. College Scorecard.
Higher than 12% of Connecticut colleges we cover and 42% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 13% of Connecticut colleges we cover and 56% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
SCSU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,303 applicants, Southern Connecticut State University admitted 6,735 and 1,227 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
SCSU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Connecticut 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 SCSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Southern Connecticut State University took 4.5 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 Connecticut. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,736 | $78,925 | 4.6 years |
| $30–48k | $18,729 | $83,344 | 4.8 years |
| $48–75k | $19,437 | $86,495 | 5.0 years |
| $75–110k | $22,532 | $100,267 | 5.8 years |
| $110k+ | $27,809 | $123,750 | 7.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (30% 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 ($55,043) minus $37,781 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in CT (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $17,262 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.
SCSU majors, earnings & careers
Southern Connecticut State University offers 43 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Education · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Business & Finance · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at SCSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $98,870 | $25,837 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $87,705 | $28,500 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $74,538 | $26,000 |
| Chemistry | $72,838 | $28,500 |
| Biology | $67,791 | $24,770 |
| Business Administration | $63,310 | $24,663 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $61,336 | $21,625 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $60,780 | $24,875 |
Quick list of all 43 majors
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$74,538
- Anthropology—
- Biology$67,791
- Biotechnology—
- Business Administration$63,310
- Chemistry$72,838
- Communications$56,694
- Computer and Information Sciences$87,705
- Data Science—
- Economics—
- Education$52,659
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)$60,780
- English$50,725
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Health Sciences—
- History—
- Hospitality Management—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- Journalism$50,760
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$50,379
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$53,411
- Library Science and Administration—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Nursing$98,870
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$53,522
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$45,270
- Psychology$50,642
- Public Health$53,997
- Social Sciences$47,042
- Social Work$59,438
- Sociology$52,249
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$47,944
- Special Education$60,365
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$61,336
- Studio Art$36,387
- 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 →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in New Haven
Overall prices in the New Haven, CT area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,091. Housing costs 24% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 50 inches of rain a year, 34 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); coastal flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, South Central Connecticut Plan
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
South Central Connecticut Plan at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare SCSU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Connecticut 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Connecticut State University | 91% | $20,857 | 50% | $55,043 | This school |
| Western Connecticut State University | 87% | $17,604 | 52% | $59,115 | |
| Central Connecticut State University | 73% | $16,857 | 48% | $58,562 | |
| Eastern Connecticut State University | 83% | $21,067 | 58% | $56,469 | |
| University of Connecticut-Stamford | 83% | $16,798 | 57% | $73,997 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Southern Connecticut State University would cost you $3,253 more per year than Western Connecticut State University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Southern Connecticut State University, mostly from a higher estimate for personal & travel costs (+$2,758).
- Southern Connecticut State University gives aided families $1,543 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Connecticut resident | SCSU | Western Connecticut State University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,438 | $13,401 | +$37 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,300 | −$100 |
| Housing & meals | $14,700 | $15,131 | −$431 |
| Personal & travel | $4,116 | $1,358 | +$2,758 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,781 | −$6,313 | +$2,532 |
| Sticker price | $29,673 | $24,877 | +$4,796 |
| Average grants | −$8,816 | −$7,273 | −$1,543 |
| You pay | $20,857 | $17,604 | +$3,253 |
“+” means SCSU 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 SCSU
What is the SCSU acceptance rate?
Southern Connecticut State University accepts 91% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 6,735 of 8,303 applicants were admitted.
How much does Southern Connecticut State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $29,673 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $20,857 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,736 and families earning $110k+ pay $27,809.
How much do SCSU graduates earn?
Former Southern Connecticut State University students earn a median $55,043 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the SCSU graduation rate?
50% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 78% return for their second year.
How long does a SCSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Southern Connecticut State University costs about $86,495 after grants ($19,437 a year for 4.5 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $55,043 ten years after starting, $17,262 more than high school graduates in Connecticut ($37,781), so the cost is repaid in 5.0 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: “Southern Connecticut State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/southern-connecticut-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).