Austin Peay State University

Overview

Rankings

• #2 Best Education Colleges in Tennessee
• #2 Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Tennessee
• #5 Best Online Colleges in Tennessee
• #7 Best Colleges in Tennessee
• #7 Best Bachelor's Programs in Tennessee
• #7 Best Master's Programs in Tennessee
• #7 Best Computer Science Colleges in Tennessee
• #7 Best Data Science Colleges in Tennessee

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Austin Peay State University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Austin Peay State University, located in Clarksville, Tennessee, admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 96%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,088. The graduation rate is roughly 42%.

Acceptance Rate

96%

Retention Rate

70%

SAT Average

1088

ACT Midpoint

21

SAT Range

843–1126

ACT Range

18–24

Full-Time Faculty

100%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$9,044

Student–Faculty Ratio

14:1

Diversity Index

0.68

First-Gen Students

40%

Applicants

6,362

Admitted

5,969

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Austin Peay State University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 28% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school many admits weigh against other offers.

Yield Rate

28%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

0%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

50%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Austin Peay State University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Austin Peay State University is $14,766, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $9,735. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $7,588 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $20,547 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$9,006

Out-of-State

$14,766

Avg Net Price

$9,735

Median Debt

$20,547

Pell Grant Rate

44%

Federal Loan Rate

34%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Austin Peay State University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Austin Peay State University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Austin Peay State University report median earnings of $44,301, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry

$38,779

8 Years

$41,659

10 Years

$44,301

Debt-to-Earnings

0.46x

Earning > $25K

56%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Austin Peay State University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Austin Peay State University is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.38%, well above the typical college. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 12% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 11.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $66,600, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.38%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

11.5%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

12.0%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$90,486

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Austin Peay State University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Austin Peay State University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.41, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.05), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.41

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.05

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

7.1%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants

$3,372,046

Top Programs

The fields Austin Peay State University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Humanities 40% $31,037 early-career
• Business & Marketing 10% $43,078 early-career
• Health Professions 10% $66,793 early-career
• Education 5% $43,248 early-career
• Criminal Justice 4% $42,610 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 4% $60,214 early-career
• Social Sciences 3% $37,524 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 3% $36,081 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.