Fort Valley State University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $10,338/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

In-state residents (tuition ~$5,526 — major value play)
Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Psychology (the two biggest majors)
Families wanting a small undergraduate experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 795, or ACT below 16 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
Out-of-state tuition is 3.1× the in-state rate

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

M3: Master's - Smaller Programs

Total enrollment

2,684

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$5,526

sticker, before aid

Out-of-state tuition

$16,932

+$11,406 vs in-state

Admit rate

62.8%

Accessible

SAT middle 50%

795–920

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

16–19

composite

Test policy

Required

2023

10-yr earnings

$36,666

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

$28,649

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$36,666

4-year completion

41%

Median debt (completers)

$31,000

Cost of attendance

$19,879

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

73%

💰 True ROI

8.9× 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)

$41,352

$10,338/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$38,164

vs sticker $79,516

10-yr earnings total

$366,660

$36,666/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.1 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 Fort Valley State University, the average net price is $10,338/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$9,017/yr

Family income $30-48k

$9,021/yr

Family income $48-75k

$11,502/yr

Family income $75-110k

$15,571/yr

Family income $110k+

$16,914/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 Fort Valley State University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Fort Valley State University →

Opens on Fort Valley 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 Fort Valley State University

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

1. Business, Management, & Marketing

62 degrees · 35.8%

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.

2. Psychology

32 degrees · 18.5%

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.

3. Biological & Biomedical Sciences

29 degrees · 16.8%

Typical career outcomes

Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k

Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

4. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting

26 degrees · 15.0%

Typical career outcomes

Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k

Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.

5. Agriculture

24 degrees · 13.9%

Typical career outcomes

Agricultural & Food Scientist $81k Farm / Ranch Manager $84k Agricultural Engineer $88k

Farm management, food science, ag-business operations. Wide range based on path.

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 Fort Valley 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
Business Administration, Management and Operations.	Bachelor's Degree	42	$31,173	$56,411
Psychology, General.	Bachelor's Degree	44	$27,677	$45,292
Criminal Justice and Corrections.	Bachelor's Degree	49	$29,445	$45,033
Computer and Information Sciences, General.	Bachelor's Degree	14	$49,827	$44,881
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General.	Bachelor's Degree	8	$28,794	$38,345
Social Work.	Bachelor's Degree	16	$26,299	$37,564
Communication and Media Studies.	Bachelor's Degree	26	$22,410	$26,285

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Fort Valley State University

CS degrees (annual)

15

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Fort Valley State University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Fort Valley State University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Fort Valley State University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

Alabama State University

AL · Public

3 auto-merit scholarships on file

💰 Better out-of-state value

For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Fort Valley State University.

Fairmont State University

WV · Public

$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($9,969 less)

Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus

NM · Public

$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($6,918 less)

Texas A & M International University