Public Graduate Strong 80/100

Charter Oak State College

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

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New Britain, Connecticut

About Charter Oak State College

Thinking about Charter Oak State College, a college in Connecticut where more students graduate in Liberal Arts 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.

Charter Oak State College is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in New Britain, Connecticut. It enrolls 1,821 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
58.2%
Net Price
$15,815
Median Earnings (10yr)
$64,209
Enrollment
1,821
Student : Faculty
16:1

Accreditor New England Commission on Higher Education
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
80/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes 87
Value 64
Affordability 48
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Charter Oak 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 Schools that do not publish one are usually open-admission, but confirm with the admissions office before you assume it.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 $15,815 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
$15,815
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
44%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
45%
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
$8,506
Room & Board (off-campus)
$7,400
Books & Supplies
$450
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$7,420
Total Cost of Attendance
$23,210

Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)


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.

$3,000
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$18,683
Median percentile
$23,306
75% percentile
$31,250
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 $11,898 ↓ $6,785
No Pell $13,618 ↓ $5,065
Dependent students $8,800 ↓ $9,883
Independent students $12,646 ↓ $6,037
Female students $12,338 ↓ $6,345
Male students $12,500 ↓ $6,183
Pell recipients: 16.6% (3,096 students)No Pell: 19.0% (3,544 students)Dependent students: 12.3% (2,290 students)Independent students: 17.6% (3,291 students)Female students: 17.2% (3,210 students)Male students: 17.4% (3,253 students)Overall Median$18,683
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,500, less than completers ($18,683), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

58% of students who start here finish within six years, and 86% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. 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
58%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
86%
Returning for their second year
What this means: High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $64,209 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$64,209
Earning > $25K
80%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$52,000$56,000$59,000$62,000$66,0006 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
$39,400

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

Male graduates
$56,300

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$34,700

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

Family income (middle third)
$47,700

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

Family income (highest third)
$50,900

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $16,900, about 30% 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 ↑ 16.4 pts across 6 years
53.5%1yr59.3%3yr68.1%5yr69.9%7yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 70% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,821 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 55% are the first in their family to go to college, and 66% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
1,821
Part-Time
66%
First-Generation
55%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 47.4% 863
Hispanic 22.6% 411
Black 21.6% 393
Other 3.1% 56
Asian 3.0% 55
International 1.0% 18
White: 47.4% (863 students)Hispanic: 22.6% (411 students)Black: 21.6% (393 students)Other: 3.1% (56 students)Asian: 3.0% (55 students)International: 1.0% (18 students)Total1,821

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Large Suburb New Britain, Connecticut
Housing
Commuter campus Online-only, no physical campus
Adult Learners
84% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
Designation
Online-only institution

What You Can Study

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

Charter Oak State College offers a varied set of programs: 19 distinct programs across 8 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.

2 Programs
5 Programs
4 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 16 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$1,835
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$2.4M
Modest endowment

Pros & Cons of Charter Oak State College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Charter Oak 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
  • Strong first-year retention
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for: Based on the data, Charter Oak State College is a fit for working adults or students needing part-time study options.

Frequently Asked Questions about Charter Oak State College

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

How much does Charter Oak State College cost?
Budget around $15,815 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 Charter Oak State College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $64,209 a year against a net price of $15,815, about 4.1 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 Charter Oak State College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Health 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 Charter Oak State College graduates earn?
About $64,209 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 Charter Oak State College accredited?
Yes. Charter Oak State College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Charter Oak State College?
1,821 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 Charter Oak State College?
58% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Charter Oak State College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Charter Oak State College located?
Charter Oak State College is located in New Britain, Connecticut.
What programs does Charter Oak State College offer?
19 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Health 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 Charter Oak State College?
16 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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