Worcester State University

Overview

Rankings

• #3 Best Education Colleges in Massachusetts
• #3 Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Massachusetts
• #5 Best MBA Programs in Massachusetts
• #6 Best Communications Colleges in Massachusetts
• #9 Best Business Colleges in Massachusetts
• #10 Best Online Colleges in Massachusetts
• #12 Best Nursing Colleges in Massachusetts
• #14 Best Psychology Colleges in Massachusetts

Academics & Admissions

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

Based in Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester State University admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 88%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,150. The graduation rate is roughly 58%.

Acceptance Rate

88%

Retention Rate

78%

SAT Average

1150

ACT Midpoint

24

SAT Range

1026–1283

Full-Time Faculty

47%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$10,308

Student–Faculty Ratio

14:1

Diversity Index

0.61

First-Gen Students

36%

Applicants

4,718

Admitted

4,136

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Worcester 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. 17% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

17%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

15%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

93%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

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

Published tuition at Worcester State University is $17,866, 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 $13,381. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $8,793 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $19,500 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$11,786

Out-of-State

$17,866

Avg Net Price

$13,381

Median Debt

$19,500

Pell Grant Rate

30%

Federal Loan Rate

44%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Worcester 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 Worcester State University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Worcester State University earn a median of $60,624, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$50,233

8 Years

$53,751

10 Years

$60,624

Debt-to-Earnings

0.32x

Earning > $25K

75%

Social Mobility

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

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

Worcester 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 1.50%, well above the typical college. About 6.1% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 24.4% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $87,600, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.50%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

24.4%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

6.1%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$119,018

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Worcester 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 Worcester State University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.41, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias sits near the middle of the range (0.09). Around 5% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.41

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

0.09

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

5.1%

Support Ratio

0.98

Community support

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants

$1,114,435

Investment Income

$-1,353,973

Top Programs

The fields Worcester 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.

• Business & Marketing 20% $50,593 early-career
• Health Professions 16% $81,773 early-career
• Psychology 12% $39,501 early-career
• Criminal Justice 8% $48,123 early-career
• Education 8% $35,844 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 7% $66,000 early-career
• Social Sciences 6% $55,456 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 5% $54,760 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.