🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $16,261/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$7,106 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Education or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: ACT below 18 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M1: Master's - Larger Programs
Total enrollment
2,239
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$7,106
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$15,419
+$8,313 vs in-state
Admit rate
97.7%
Accepts the majority
ACT middle 50%
18–24
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$47,601
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$41,389
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,601
4-year completion
56%
Median debt (completers)
$19,500
Cost of attendance
$21,967
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
34%

💰 True ROI

7.3× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$65,044
$16,261/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$22,824
vs sticker $87,868
10-yr earnings total
$476,010
$47,601/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.4 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Emporia State University, the average net price is $16,261/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$11,452/yr
Family income $30-48k
$11,905/yr
Family income $48-75k
$14,229/yr
Family income $75-110k
$18,994/yr
Family income $110k+
$19,531/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Emporia State University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Emporia State University →

Opens on Emporia State University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Emporia State University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Emporia State University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Education
211 degrees · 39.7%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
117 degrees · 22.0%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Health Professions
104 degrees · 19.6%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
4. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
52 degrees · 9.8%
Typical career outcomes
Management Analyst $99k Marketing Specialist $75k HR Specialist $68k
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).
5. Psychology
47 degrees · 8.9%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Emporia State University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 86 $60,066 $71,002
Human Resources Management and Services. Bachelor's Degree 14 $38,538 $68,568
Information Science/Studies. Bachelor's Degree 14 $48,438 $67,263
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 32 $40,967 $65,271
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 19 $65,043
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 60 $40,528 $60,719
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 21 $40,830 $55,527
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 49 $35,389 $53,022
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Bachelor's Degree 33 $38,423 $50,717
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. Bachelor's Degree 76 $43,954 $50,458

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Emporia State University

CS degrees (annual)
6
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Emporia State University vs. another college

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