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Fort Hays State University: FHSU Albertson Hall
Photo: FUBAR007, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

Fort Hays State University

Hays, KS · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $12,569 a year

Median debt at graduation: $21,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

B-Academic Excellence: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.48%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.77%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,089 · ACT 21
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.15 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$6,655

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$7,661
$30,001–$48,000$9,776
$48,001–$75,000$11,941
$75,001–$110,000$14,266
Over $110,000$16,641

Full cost of attendance before aid: $19,909 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
10,206
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 38% · Women 62%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
39%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
16%
Total students12,843
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$12,569
Cost of attendance (per year)$19,909
Median federal debt at graduation$21,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
48%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
36%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
36%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
59%
First-year retention77%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$48,928
Admission rate90%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$30
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $717 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants23%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 970–1140ACT 18–24
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1089
SAT reading & writing500–580
SAT math470–560
ACT composite18–24
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Very good · Top 27% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Nursing$79,957
Programming$73,380
Political science$72,384
Information science$67,823
Other business, management, marketing, and related support services$65,526
Finance$64,524
Accounting$63,148
Marketing$62,261
Business administration$61,153
Agricultural business$58,520
Allied health$58,463
Biology$58,355
Criminal justice$55,790
Secondary education$53,945
Social work$53,549
Liberal arts$53,176
Psychology$51,898
Speech-language pathology$50,246
Teacher education$45,190
Sociology$44,405
Fine arts$39,280

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Agriculture, Biological and physical sciences, Business (general), Business operations, Business/Corporate Communications, Chemistry, Communication studies, Computing and information science, Economics, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, English, Geography, Geology and earth science, History, Hospitality management, Industrial Engineering, Industrial technology, Linguistics, Management information systems, Mathematics, Music, Other english language and literature/letters, Other health professions and related clinical sciences, Philosophy, Physical Sciences, Physics, Public relations, Software and media applications, Special education.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business33%
Education13%
Health professions9%
Social sciences8%
Computer and information sciences7%

Campus life

SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates52%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older24%
On-campus room and board (per year)$9,120
SportsNCAA Division II · Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member15 to 1
Faculty who are full-time51%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$18,607IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 17% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceWichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT)About 134 miles away · about 3 hours 20 minutes by car
Town population21,143Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreWichitaAbout 136 miles away · about 3 hours 15 minutes by car
Typical weather30°F in January · 80°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Hays 1 S, KS

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.160.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.080.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Fort Hays State University’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B-). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Fort Hays State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $12,569 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Fort Hays State University?
Fort Hays State University admitted 90% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Fort Hays State University’s graduates do?
48% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $48,928; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,000.

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