Public Graduate Strong 72/100

Chadron State College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Chadron, Nebraska

About Chadron State College

Thinking about Chadron State College, a college in Nebraska where more students graduate in Education than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Chadron State College is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Chadron, Nebraska. It enrolls 1,540 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
—
Graduation
39.7%
Net Price
$12,549
Median Earnings (10yr)
$47,002
Enrollment
1,540
Student : Faculty
15:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Open / Online), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Strong
72/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes 65
Value 60
Affordability 49
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Chadron State College does not report an acceptance rate. Schools that do not publish one are usually open-admission, but confirm with the admissions office before you assume it.

Acceptance Rate
—
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $12,549 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$12,549
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
38%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
50%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$8,290
Room & Board (on-campus)
$9,984
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,984
Books & Supplies
$1,300
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,968
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,968
Total Cost of Attendance
$21,132

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $10,047
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $10,090
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $12,561
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $14,674
  • Over $110,000
    $16,047

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,750
10% percentile
$4,750
25% percentile
$18,875
Median percentile
$18,882
75% percentile
$27,755
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $11,636 ↓ $7,239
No Pell $11,250 ↓ $7,625
Dependent students $11,202 ↓ $7,673
Independent students $12,500 ↓ $6,375
Female students $11,784 ↓ $7,091
Male students $11,000 ↓ $7,875
Pell recipients: 16.8% (3,166 students)No Pell: 16.2% (3,061 students)Dependent students: 16.1% (3,048 students)Independent students: 18.0% (3,401 students)Female students: 17.0% (3,206 students)Male students: 15.9% (2,993 students)Overall Median$18,875
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,335, less than completers ($18,875), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

40% of students who start here finish within six years, and 66% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
40%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
66%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $47,002 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$47,002
Earning > $25K
76%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$38,000$41,000$43,000$46,000$48,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$37,900

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$49,600

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$36,800

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$43,500

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$49,500

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $11,700, about 24% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 16.3 pts across 6 years
72.8%1yr77.9%3yr80.6%5yr89.1%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 89% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,540 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 39% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
1,540
Part-Time
11%
First-Generation
39%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 76.6% 1,180
Hispanic 11.6% 178
Other 5.7% 88
Black 3.0% 46
International 2.0% 31
Asian 0.6% 9
White: 76.6% (1,180 students)Hispanic: 11.6% (178 students)Other: 5.7% (88 students)Black: 3.0% (46 students)International: 2.0% (31 students)Asian: 0.6% (9 students)Total1,540

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Chadron State College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Remote Chadron, Nebraska
Housing
Strongly residential 1,197 beds for 1,540 students
Adult Learners
21% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Chadron State College offers a varied set of programs: 29 distinct programs across 18 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

4 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 15 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
15:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$8,752
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$28M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$70,878
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

89 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 34 38% $85,837
Associate Professors 23 26% $69,610
Assistant Professors 16 18% $59,245
Instructors 11 12% $50,711
Lecturers 5 6% $56,576

Pros & Cons of Chadron State College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Chadron State College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Reasonable class sizes
CONS
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical

Frequently Asked Questions about Chadron State College

The questions families ask most about Chadron State College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

How much does Chadron State College cost?
Budget around $12,549 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Chadron State College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $47,002 a year against a net price of $12,549, about 3.7 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Chadron State College known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Teacher Education (K-12), Educational Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Chadron State College graduates earn?
About $47,002 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Chadron State College accredited?
Yes. Chadron State College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Chadron State College?
1,540 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Chadron State College?
40% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Chadron State College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Chadron State College located?
Chadron State College is located in Chadron, Nebraska.
What programs does Chadron State College offer?
29 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Teacher Education (K-12), Educational Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Chadron State College?
15 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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