🎯 Parent/student verdict

Strong target

Selective but achievable for strong students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $19,809/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$7,683 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 860, or ACT below 15 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
  • With selective universities, build a balanced college list of Reaches, Targets, and Safeties

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
4,164
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$7,683
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$16,706
+$9,023 vs in-state
Admit rate
23.7%
Highly selective
SAT middle 50%
860–1150
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
15–19
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$41,109
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
$25,589
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$41,109
4-year completion
36%
Median debt (completers)
$36,500
Cost of attendance
$25,367
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
75%

💰 True ROI

5.2× 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)
$79,236
$19,809/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$22,232
vs sticker $101,468
10-yr earnings total
$411,090
$41,109/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.9 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 Grambling State University, the average net price is $19,809/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$18,666/yr
Family income $30-48k
$19,007/yr
Family income $48-75k
$21,743/yr
Family income $75-110k
$24,525/yr
Family income $110k+
$25,310/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 Grambling State University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Grambling State University →

Opens on Grambling 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 Grambling State University

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

1. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
109 degrees · 28.0%
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.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
109 degrees · 28.0%
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. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
78 degrees · 20.1%
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. Computer & Information Sciences
52 degrees · 13.4%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.
5. Education
41 degrees · 10.5%
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.

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 Grambling 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
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General. Bachelor's Degree 19 $40,864 $68,760
Information Science/Studies. Bachelor's Degree 22 $54,803
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 78 $27,164 $54,628
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 19 $50,208
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies. Bachelor's Degree 37 $19,830 $45,159
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 49 $23,418 $44,729
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. Bachelor's Degree 35 $22,864 $44,665
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 145 $23,046 $44,033
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 29 $43,561
Communication and Media Studies. Bachelor's Degree 38 $27,375 $43,324

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Grambling State University

CS degrees (annual)
10
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Grambling 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 Grambling 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 Grambling State University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
31 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Louisville
KY · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Arkansas
AR · Public
15 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Mississippi
MS · Public
15 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Kentucky
KY · Public
13 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Grambling State University.
Christian Brothers University
TN · Private nonprofit
$5,843/yr for $110k+ families ($19,467 less)
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($18,365 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($15,314 less)
College of the Ozarks
MO · Private nonprofit
$10,426/yr for $110k+ families ($14,884 less)
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$10,593/yr for $110k+ families ($14,717 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Nicholls State University
LA · Public
96% admit rate (vs 24% here)
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
LA · Public
94% admit rate (vs 24% here)
Louisiana State University-Alexandria
LA · Public
93% admit rate (vs 24% here)
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
LA · Public
89% admit rate (vs 24% here)
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
LA · Public
83% admit rate (vs 24% here)

Building a college list?

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