Wichita State University — College Profile

About

Wichita State University is best known as an urban research institution distinguished by its massive Innovation Campus and close ties to the local aviation industry, making its aerospace engineering, business, and health professions programs among the strongest in the region. Campus culture blends a spirited NCAA Division I athletics scene—centered around the beloved "Shockers" basketball team—with a diverse, career-focused student body engaged in hundreds of campus organizations. What truly sets WSU apart is its focus on applied learning, which guarantees students unmatched access to paid internships, real-world research, and immediate workforce integration with on-campus corporate partners like Airbus, Textron Aviation, and Deloitte.

Wikipedia:Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States, governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. WSU offers more than 60 undergraduate programs across nine colleges, with over 200 areas of study. As of fall 2025, the main campus enrolled 18,458 students, the highest in university history. The graduate school provides more than 50 master's degrees, a specialist degree in education, and 13 doctoral programs. WSU holds an R2 classification for high research activity doctoral universities.

Location

Wichita, KS, 67260-0124 · City campus

✈

Nearest airport from college

MCI · Kansas City

177 mi away

Open in Google Maps

Cost & aid

Cost of attendance

These figures are federal data and may be out of date.

In-stateOut-of-state

Tuition & fees$9,684$19,869

Housing & food (on campus)$12,420$12,420

Books & supplies$1,250$1,250

Cost of attendance$21,780$31,965 est.

Average net price$13,194Not published

Out-of-state prices

Tuition & fees$19,869

In-state: $9,684

Housing & food (on campus)$12,420

Books & supplies$1,250

Cost of attendance$31,965 est.

In-state: $21,780

Average net priceNot published

In-state: $13,194

est. = the in-state cost of attendance with out-of-state tuition swapped in; no out-of-state figure is published.

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Net price by family income · in-state students, 2023-24

$0–30k

$9,734

$30–48k

$9,696

$48–75k

$13,564

$75–110k

$16,893

$110k+

$19,184

Your family's actual price → Wichita State University net price calculator

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Merit aid · 2025-26

Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.

Average award$1,090

Share of first-years who get one23%

Source: Wichita State University's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures.

Outcomes

Completion

Within 6 yrs

51%

Entered 2017–18

Within 4 yrs

33%

Back for yr 2

69%

Transferred

27%

8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students

52% graduated · 27% transferred · 2% still enrolled · 19% left or unknown

Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021

6 yrs after entry$44,043

10 yrs after entry$51,532

Debt

Median at graduation$20,500

Monthly payment$217

Middle 50% owe$5.6k–$26k

90th percentile$38,268

Admissions

Getting in · applied for fall 2024

Admit rate

94%

Test policy

Test optional

Per College Scorecard

SAT average

1092

R 470–610 · M 435–630

ACT midpoint

Comp 17–25 · E 16–24 · M 16–25

SAT middle 50%: 905–1240

40080012001600

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Essay prompts

If Wichita State University asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the Common App.

The personal essay is separate: see the Common App essay prompts.

Student Body

Gender

Men 44%Women 56%

Who enrolls

Faculty ratio

19 : 1

Pell grant

31%

First-gen

36%

Family income

$43,391

Independent

33%

Veterans

Age at entry

23.0

Part-time

19%

Race & ethnicity

White

54%

Hispanic

18%

Black

Asian

Two or more

Non-resident

AI/AN

Unknown

Varsity sports

NCAA Division I without football · EADA 2024-25

Baseball
Men's
Basketball
Men's · Women's
Bowling
Women's
Golf
Men's · Women's
Softball
Women's
Tennis
Men's · Women's
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
Men's · Women's
Volleyball
Women's

Programs & Earnings

Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings

Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021

After 6 yrs

$44,043

After 10 yrs

$51,532

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods239

Business Administration, Management and Operations126

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing125

Psychology, General109

Mechanical Engineering79

Accounting and Related Services77

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities76

Criminal Justice and Corrections73

Biology, General72

Computer Science70

Marketing62

Finance and Financial Management Services61

Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences60

Visual and Performing Arts, General59

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas57

Social Work57

Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.

Institutional

Resources

Endowment

$336M

Full-time faculty

64%

Faculty salary

$9,205/mo

Teaching spend

$9,179

per student

Federal loans

32%

Classification

Carnegie type

Doctoral University

Research activity

R2 — high research

$392M research spending · 50 research doctorates a year

Undergraduate profile

Four-year, selective admissions