Kent State University: Cost, Admission Odds And Payoff
- Kent State admitted 16,015 of 25,526 first-year applicants for fall 2025, and 25% of the students it admitted enrolled.
- Ohio families earning $75,000 or less pay no tuition at the Kent Campus through the Flashes Go Further Scholarship.
- 63% of the class of 2025 took out student loans. Those who borrowed left with an average of $30,381.
Is Kent State Worth It? The College Investor Rating
| Family | What They Pay | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | D | |
| Low-Income Families | Average $15,820 a year | F |
| Middle-Income Families | Average $19,522 a year | D |
| High-Income Families, In-State | $31,458 a year | D |
| High-Income Families, Out Of State | $41,621 a year | D |
How Hard Is It To Get Into Kent State?
Kent State accepted 63% of first-year applicants for fall 2025: 16,015 admits from 25,526 applications. 4,026 of those students enrolled, a yield of 25%.
- Median SAT Reading: 570
- Median SAT Math: 550
- Median ACT Composite: 21
What Kent State Weighs In Admissions
Kent State rates academic GPA as very important. Demonstrated interest counts, so campus visits and contact with admissions can help. Legacy status doesn't count.
Very Important
Important
Considered
Not Considered
What Will Kent State Actually Cost Your Family?
The average in-state Kent State student receiving financial aid paid $20,294 a year after grants.
That's against a sticker price of $31,458 a year for in-state students. Out-of-state tuition alone runs $23,791. Ohio families earning $75,000 or less pay no tuition at the Kent Campus through the Flashes Go Further Scholarship. Kent State is one of a growing number of colleges offering free tuition by family income.
| Total Borrowed Over Four Years | $0 |
| Within Federal Student Loan Limits | $0 |
| Beyond Federal Student Loan Limits | $0 |
| Monthly Student Loan Payment, 10-Year Plan | $0 |
| Expected Pay In Your Major | $0 |
How Kent State Meets Financial Need
Kent State reports meeting 62% of demonstrated financial need on average. In 2025-2026, 10,123 of Kent State's 17,629 full-time undergraduates had financial need, and their average need-based grant was $11,487. Kent State determines financial need with the FAFSA, so how your assets are counted affects what you pay. 5,111 students without financial need received merit scholarships averaging $6,184.
Grants made up 67% of Kent State's need-based financial aid in 2025-2026. The rest came from student jobs, including Federal Work-Study, and $51,665,206 in student loans.
| Source | Need-Based | Not Need-Based |
|---|---|---|
| Kent State Grants | $45,678,453 | $34,500,736 |
| Federal Grants | $40,384,574 | $59,774 |
| State Grants | $20,941,291 | $2,959,147 |
| Outside Scholarships | $3,804,234 | $2,006,254 |
| Student Jobs And Work-Study | $1,812,071 | $0 |
| Student Loans | $51,665,206 | $51,972,654 |
| Parent Loans, Including Parent PLUS | $8,700,785 | $16,745,614 |
| Athletic Scholarships | $5,484,156 |
Families Cover Part Of Their Financial Need
Kent State met an average of 62% of financial need in 2025-2026. The rest falls to families as savings, income, Parent PLUS loans or private student loans. Read your financial aid award letter carefully and appeal it if the numbers don't work.
| Measure | All Undergrads | First Year |
|---|---|---|
| Students With Financial Need | 10,123 | 2,562 |
| Share Of Financial Need Met | 62% | 66% |
| Average Need-Based Grant | $11,487 | $12,634 |
| Average Financial Aid Package | $14,912 | $16,142 |
| Average Student Loan | $4,154 | $3,360 |
| Students Without Financial Need Receiving Merit Scholarships | 5,111 | 1,248 |
Does A Kent State Degree Pay Off?
For many students, it's hard to justify. That's why Kent State earns .
Kent State students earn a median of $51,178 ten years after starting college, and 73% out-earn a typical high school graduate. 51% take out federal student loans, and the typical borrower leaves owing $23,000, about 45% of one year's pay. Earnings still depend heavily on major: Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research And Clinical Nursing graduates earned a median of $78,263 four years after graduating, compared with $41,717 for Teacher Education And Professional Development, Specific Levels And Methods graduates.
Who Borrowed In The Class Of 2025
2,060 of Kent State's 3,322 bachelor's graduates in 2025 left with student loan debt, averaging $30,381. The 524 graduates who used private student loans averaged $33,821.
| Student Loan Type | Borrowers | Share Of Class | Average Debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any Student Loan | 2,060 | 63% | $30,381 |
| Federal Student Loans | 2,017 | 62% | $22,202 |
| Private Student Loans | 524 | 16% | $33,821 |
How We Graded Kent State
The overall grade weighs payoff, price, graduation and student debt. Price counts what low-income families pay (5 points), what middle-income families pay (10 points) and the sticker price high-income families pay (10 points). Each income grade swaps in that family's price alone.
Grade Checks
Financial Aid Check
Kent State met 62% of financial need on average, so families with need should expect to cover part of it with savings, income or student loans.
Financial Health Check
Kent State cut $18 million in spending and eliminated about 48 staff jobs for fiscal 2027, according to its Faculty Senate. We're watching it, and it doesn't change the grade yet.
Earnings Floor
73% of students out-earn a typical high school graduate. Schools where most don't are capped at a D.
Kent State In The News
We haven't covered Kent State in the news yet. These stories help families weighing a school like it.
More For Kent State Applicants
Compare Kent State With Similar Schools
Sources And Methodology
The College Investor Rating scores every four-year college from 0 to 100 on payoff (30%), price (25%), graduation (20%) and student debt (25%) using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data. An earnings floor and a financial health check can cap the grade at D, and a financial aid check flags concerns without changing it. Price is judged on its own, without earnings. The grade measures financial return for families, not teaching quality, campus life or a school's mission.
Notes On The Data
- Low-income families earn under $48,000. Middle-income families earn $48,000 to $110,000. Their prices are federal averages for first-time, full-time students who received financial aid.
- High-income families are those who get no grant aid, so they pay the sticker price (cost of attendance). Out-of-state families pay the in-state cost of attendance plus the difference in tuition.
- Paying full price is the share of undergraduates who received no grant aid from any source in 2022-23, from the Education Department's IPEDS survey. The chance of merit aid divides merit scholarship recipients by full-time undergraduates without financial need, from the Common Data Set.
- Earnings by major are medians four years after graduation. Majors with too few graduates for the government to report earnings are left out. Debt by major is median federal student loan debt among borrowers.
- Admissions, financial aid and class of 2025 student loan figures come from the Kent State Common Data Set 2025-2026. Student loan debt at graduation excludes Parent PLUS and other parent loans, and students who transferred in.
- The calculator uses federal net price averages for in-state students and adds the tuition difference for out-of-state students. Borrowing up to the $27,000 federal limit for dependent undergraduates uses the 2026-27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%, and anything above it uses the 9.07% Parent PLUS rate. Parent PLUS loans are capped at $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student. See all federal student loan interest rates. Kent State's own net price calculator gives a personal figure, and College Aid Pro can compare costs across schools.
Data years: Earnings follow students who started college in 2011-12 and 2012-13, measured 10 years later. Net price and borrowing rates are for 2024-25. Graduation rates follow students who started in fall 2019. Median debt covers borrowers who left school in fiscal 2024 and 2025. Full-price shares are for 2022-23.
Work at Kent State? If a figure looks wrong, send us the source and our editors will review it.
Sources: Kent State Common Data Set 2025-2026. U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, data updated November 2, 2026. News from The College Investor.