Public Associate Good 67/100

Stark State College

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

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North Canton, Ohio

About Stark State College

Thinking about Stark State College, a college in Ohio where more students graduate in Health 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.

Stark State College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in North Canton, Ohio. It enrolls 5,749 students (a large 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
12.4%
Net Price
$5,986
Median Earnings (10yr)
$34,661
Enrollment
5,749
Student : Faculty
18:1

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.

Good
67/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes 25
Value 81
Affordability 65
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Stark 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 Schools that do not publish one are usually open-admission, but confirm with the admissions office before you assume it.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 $5,986 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. 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
$5,986
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
36%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
24%
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 (in-state)
$4,790
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$7,886
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,384
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,722
Total Cost of Attendance
$10,755

Application fee: $95 (one-time, due at submission)


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
    $5,916
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $7,268
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $6,985
  • Over $110,000
    $10,755

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.

$1,950
10% percentile
$3,500
25% percentile
$13,786
Median percentile
$19,500
75% percentile
$32,972
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 $7,420 ↓ $6,366
No Pell $5,500 ↓ $8,286
Dependent students $5,500 ↓ $8,286
Independent students $8,337 ↓ $5,449
Female students $7,929 ↓ $5,857
Male students $5,500 ↓ $8,286
Pell recipients: 18.5% (2,545 students)No Pell: 13.7% (1,887 students)Dependent students: 13.7% (1,887 students)Independent students: 20.7% (2,860 students)Female students: 19.7% (2,720 students)Male students: 13.7% (1,887 students)Overall Median$13,786
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,956, less than completers ($13,786), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

12% of students who start here finish within six years, and 52% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. 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
12%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
52%
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 $34,661 a year, below the national median. Weigh that against the cost above before taking on debt here. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$34,661
Earning > $25K
57%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$31,000$32,000$33,000$34,000$35,0006 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
$31,500

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

Male graduates
$45,800

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$31,700

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

Family income (middle third)
$40,700

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

Family income (highest third)
$43,900

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $14,300, about 31% 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 ↑ 27.4 pts across 6 years
43%1yr48.7%3yr62.7%5yr70.4%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 70% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 5,749 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 51% are the first in their family to go to college, and 67% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
5,749
Part-Time
67%
First-Generation
51%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 67.5% 3,879
Black 17.5% 1,006
Other 5.7% 328
Hispanic 4.7% 271
Asian 4.0% 231
White: 67.5% (3,879 students)Black: 17.5% (1,006 students)Other: 5.7% (328 students)Hispanic: 4.7% (271 students)Asian: 4.0% (231 students)Total5,749

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Large Suburb North Canton, Ohio
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
25% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA 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.

Stark State College offers an extensive catalog of programs: 76 distinct programs across 21 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.

17 Programs
10 Programs
1 Program
7 Programs
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 18 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
18:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$6,757
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$9.7M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$65,254
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

154 instructional faculty across 4 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 10 6% $79,700
Associate Professors 61 40% $73,065
Assistant Professors 31 20% $65,036
Instructors 52 34% $53,443

Pros & Cons of Stark State College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Stark 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
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • First-gen-friendly student body
  • Flexible part-time enrollment options
CONS
  • Class sizes are on the higher side
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Below-average post-graduation earnings
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution
Best for: Based on the data, Stark State College is a fit for families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.

Frequently Asked Questions about Stark State College

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

How much does Stark State College cost?
Budget around $5,986 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 Stark State College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $34,661 a year against a net price of $5,986, about 5.8 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 Stark State College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Nursing, Business 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 Stark State College graduates earn?
About $34,661 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 Stark State College accredited?
Yes. Stark State College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Stark State College?
5,749 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Stark State College?
12% 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 Stark State College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Stark State College located?
Stark State College is located in North Canton, Ohio.
What programs does Stark State College offer?
76 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Nursing, Business 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 Stark State College?
18 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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