Public universities in Kansas
The College Scorecard lists 7 public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher in Kansas, all compared on this page. Together they enroll 67,883 undergraduate degree-seeking students. The median average net price is $14,364 a year, about the same as the $14,226 median for public universities nationwide. Former students' median earnings 10 years after starting college are $53,785 at the median institution, lower than the $58,635 median for public universities nationwide. The median graduation rate is 52.7%.
Compare all public universities in Kansas on one chart
Pick any two measures. Hover a dot to see the school; click it to open the school's page.
Each dot is one school. Dashed lines mark the median for Kansas. Showing 7 of 7 public universities in Kansas; schools missing either value are left out.
All 7 public universities in Kansas
| University of Kansas Lawrence | 21,217 | $20,004 | $12,453 | $31,332 | $67,963 | $20,000 | 70.3% | 86.5% | 93.5% |
| Kansas State University Manhattan | 15,142 | $18,210 | $11,579 | $29,533 | $61,473 | $19,200 | 71.3% | 85.6% | 81.7% |
| Wichita State University Wichita | 10,780 | $10,307 | $9,948 | $20,613 | $56,003 | $19,120 | 52.4% | 69.3% | 94.0% |
| Fort Hays State University Hays | 9,733 | $16,333 | $6,111 | $18,433 | $53,030 | $19,500 | 52.7% | 76.9% | 90.3% |
| Washburn University Topeka | 4,562 | $11,023 | $10,256 | $10,256 | $53,102 | $16,253 | 52.0% | 68.0% | n/a |
| Pittsburg State University Pittsburg | 4,210 | $14,291 | $8,599 | $19,943 | $53,785 | $17,113 | 48.4% | 77.2% | 89.4% |
| Emporia State University Emporia | 2,239 | $14,364 | $7,226 | $15,539 | $50,860 | $17,728 | 57.3% | 76.8% | 97.7% |
Quick facts: public universities in Kansas
- How many public universities are in Kansas?
- The College Scorecard lists 7 public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher in Kansas.
- What do public universities in Kansas cost?
- Across the 7 schools that report it, the median average net price is $14,364 a year. Net price is what full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid pay after grants and scholarships. Reported net prices range from $10,307 at Wichita State University to $20,004 at University of Kansas.
- Which public universities in Kansas have the lowest average net price?
- By reported average net price: Wichita State University ($10,307), Washburn University ($11,023), Pittsburg State University ($14,291), Emporia State University ($14,364), and Fort Hays State University ($16,333).
- How much is in-state and out-of-state tuition at public universities in Kansas?
- The median published in-state tuition is $9,948 a year, and the median out-of-state tuition is $19,943. Many students pay less than published tuition after aid.
- How much do former students of public universities in Kansas earn?
- At the median institution, former students who received federal aid earn $53,785 10 years after starting college (7 institutions reporting; branch campuses share one figure and count once). The highest reported medians are at University of Kansas ($67,963), Kansas State University ($61,473), and Wichita State University ($56,003).
- What is the graduation rate at public universities in Kansas?
- The median graduation rate is 52.7%, across 7 schools reporting. It counts full-time, first-time students who finished within 150% of normal time.
- How much student debt do graduates of public universities in Kansas have?
- The median institution's graduates leave with $19,120 in federal student loans (the median balance). Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
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Other college types in Kansas
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How these numbers work
This page includes public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher, as reported in the College Scorecard. Summary figures are medians across schools: each school counts once, whatever its size, and schools that don't report a measure are left out of that measure. The Scorecard reports earnings and debt for a whole institution, so branch campuses share one figure; for those two measures each institution counts once. Most recent data year: cost 2025, graduation and retention 2025, earnings 2022, debt 2024. More on the data.