What is University of Kansas’s Compass Score?

Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 25% of rated colleges. 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 University of Kansas cost after financial aid?

The average net price is about $18,000 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 University of Kansas?

University of Kansas admitted 93% of applicants in the most recent federal data.

How do University of Kansas’s graduates do?

69% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $61,945; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,000.

National university

#3 Best colleges in Kansas

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid About $18,000 a year

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

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

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Campus tour

Virtual campus tour | The University of Kansas · From the college’s official YouTube channel. Plays from YouTube when you tap it.

Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

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In Kansas

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Academic Excellence

B+

Very good · Top 21%

From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

Graduation rate 35% of score69%
First-year retention 20% of score86%
Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreSAT 1,190 · ACT 24
Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of score18 to 1
Instructional spending per student 15% of score$22,979

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 paid by families who received aid, by income. Families who get no aid pay the full cost of attendance: $26,751 a year.

Average net price by family income
Family income	Price after aid
Up to $30,000	About $13,000
$30,001–$48,000	About $13,000
$48,001–$75,000	About $15,000
$75,001–$110,000	About $19,000
Over $110,000	About $23,000

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)	20,696
Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023	Men 46% · Women 54%
First-generation students College Scorecard	22%
First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023	44%
Total students	28,406
Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid	About $18,000
Cost of attendance (per year)	$26,751
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,000
Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time	69%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years	51%
Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years	51%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years	66%
First-year retention	86%
Median earnings 10 years after entry	$61,945
Admission rate	93%
Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24	$40
Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026	About $1,006 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants	20%

Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 1070–1300ACT 20–28

Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT	1190
SAT reading & writing	540–650
SAT math	530–650
ACT composite	20–28
Test policy	Considered but not required

Value: Very good · Top 23% (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
Major	Median earnings
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	$125,384
Computer engineering	$113,339
Management science	$107,635
Petroleum Engineering	$97,527
Chemical Engineering	$93,391
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering	$92,335
Computing and information science	$92,008
Civil engineering	$89,087
Management information systems	$87,704
Finance	$86,453
Accounting	$84,736
Architectural Engineering	$84,319
Mechanical engineering	$82,934
Biochemistry	$81,568
Nursing	$78,601
Business administration	$77,725
Marketing	$70,404
Human Biology	$70,399
Economics	$69,084
Business (general)	$68,572
Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation	$66,286
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	$65,861
Mathematics	$64,905
Kinesiology and exercise science	$62,876
Journalism	$62,394
Political science	$61,839
Geology and earth science	$61,838
Biology	$61,561
Communication studies	$60,258
Design	$59,441
Speech-language pathology	$59,436
History	$58,936
Behavioral Sciences	$58,883
Liberal arts	$58,777
Counseling and mental health	$57,252
Social work	$55,582
Psychology	$55,329
Natural resources and conservation	$54,687
Allied health	$53,864
Secondary education	$52,106
Teacher education	$50,434
Sociology	$48,146
English	$46,464
Film and video	$41,191
Fine arts	$38,355

Also offered (no earnings published yet): American Sign Language, Anthropology, Architectural Sciences and Technology, Area studies, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Biotechnology, Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Chemistry, Classical and Ancient Studies, Classics, Clinical laboratory science, Dance, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Electrical engineering, Engineering Physics, Ethnic and gender studies, Experimental psychology, Geography, Geography and Environmental Studies, German, Global studies, Health administration, Health sciences, Interior Architecture, International business, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Pre-law and legal studies, Public administration, Rehabilitation and therapy, Religious studies, Romance languages, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Theatre.

What students study most

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

Most common bachelor’s fields
Field	Share of degrees
Business	19%
Engineering	10%
Health professions	10%
Psychology	8%
Communication	6%

Campus life

Setting	City
Part-time undergraduates	8%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older	7%
On-campus room and board (per year)	$11,358
Sports	NCAA Division I · Big Twelve Conference
ROTC	Army · Navy · Air Force
Study abroad	Offered
Students per faculty member	18 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability office	About 7%IPEDS, 2023–24
Faculty who are full-time	78%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student	$92,874IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm space	For about 30% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline service	Kansas City International Airport (MCI)About 37 miles away
Town population	96,051Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or more	Kansas CityAbout 39 miles away
Typical weather	29°F in January · 79°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Lawrence, KS

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Questions families ask

What is University of Kansas’s Compass Score?: Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 25% of rated colleges. 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 University of Kansas cost after financial aid?: The average net price is about $18,000 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 University of Kansas?: University of Kansas admitted 93% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do University of Kansas’s graduates do?: 69% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $61,945; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,000.

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About this school’s data

IPEDS unit ID 155317
Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (very high research)
Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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