Public · Cleveland, Mississippi

Delta State University

Delta State University is a public institution in Cleveland, Mississippi. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.

$13,540
Avg net price / yr
$41,991
10-yr median earnings
47.4%
150%-time completion
100.0%
Acceptance rate

The verdict

Delta State University pairs above-median former-student earnings with open admission.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 47%
former-student earnings, US
100.0%
acceptance rate
47.4%
150%-time completion
+16%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Remote Carnegie: Master's (L)
View my saved schools

Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this Delta State University profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

D
College Value Score
47/100
Delta State University

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings C-
$41,991
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C+
$13,540
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
47.4%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$20,390
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B-
69.4%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
66.7%
First-year students returning for year two
Delta State University vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$41,991

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$13,540

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

47.4%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 47.4%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - Delta State University vs peers

Delta State University positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 7 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Delta State University positioned by earning… Carnegie Classification: Master's (L) Master's (… COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $24K $48K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $2K $14K Avg Net Price ($) Delta State University (you are here): $42K earn · $14K net · 47% grad You are here - Delta State Univer… Mississippi University for Women: $46K earn · $12K net · 42% grad Mississippi Univer… East Central Community College: $32K earn · $5K net · 38% grad East Central Commu… Southwest Mississippi Community College: $33K earn · $3K net · 48% grad Southwest Mississi… Mississippi Valley State University: $32K earn · $10K net · 24% grad Mississippi Valley… Mississippi Delta Community College: $28K earn · $4K net · 31% grad Mississippi Delta … Copiah-Lincoln Community College: $31K earn · $4K net · 51% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How Delta State University ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

Delta State University: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$41,991 Top 47% higher than 53% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric Delta State University National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $41,991 #2374 of 5103 53rd
Average net price $13,540 #1810 of 5020 64th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 47.4% #3157 of 4858 35th
Undergraduate enrollment 1,620 #1671 of 5462 69th

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

1,620
Undergraduate enrollment
100.0%
Acceptance rate
1,050
SAT average
47.4%
150%-time completion
$41,991
10-yr median earnings
66.7%
First-year retention

How Delta State University ranks in Mississippi

State rank among 49 reporting Mississippi colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric Delta State University State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $41,991 #10 of 49 80th
Average net price $13,540 #27 of 49 45th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 47.4% #24 of 42 43rd
Undergraduate enrollment 1,620 #20 of 51 61st

Highest former-student earnings in Mississippi

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Millsaps College$53,848$26,034
2Mississippi State University$51,513$17,595
3University of Mississippi$50,994$13,314
4University of Mississippi Medical Center$50,994-
5Mississippi Christian University$47,485$27,712
6Belhaven University$46,440$15,676
7Mississippi University for Women$46,128$12,411
8University of Southern Mississippi$44,140$21,708
9William Carey University$43,087$14,258
10Delta State UniversityThis school$41,991$13,540
11Blue Mountain Christian University$40,421$24,016
12Strayer University-Mississippi$40,092-

Admissions

Admission Rate 100.0%
SAT Average 1,050
SAT Math (25th-75th) 450 – 620
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 475 – 590
ACT Average 19
ACT (25th-75th) 17 – 23
0%100%100%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at Delta State University

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Delta State University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $8,605
Out-of-State Tuition $8,605
Average Net Price $13,540
41.8%
Pell Grant Rate
44.4%
Federal Loan Rate
$20,390
Median Debt
$216/mo
Monthly Payment

Net price at Delta State University swings rather than trends

Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $12,634 to $15,335 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +0.6%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.

Lowest year
$12,634
Highest year
$15,335
Most recent (2023)
$13,778
Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $13,6962014: $15,3352015: $12,6892016: $12,6342017: $12,8092018: $12,9142019: $13,1322020: $14,2962021: $14,3772022: $13,5692023: $13,778
2013 · $13,6962023 · $13,778

Over the same years, enrollment went -38.9% (2,638 → 1,613 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

60.5%
Female
32.3%
First Generation

Outcomes

66.7%
Retention Rate
$36,265
Median Earnings (6yr)
58.1%
Earning Over $25K
69.4%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 47.4%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 66.7%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $36,265
Median earnings 10 years after entry $41,991
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 58.1%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 69.4%
Median federal student debt At completion $20,390
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $216/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Bachelor's 15 390 $46,982 $76,031 $20,791
Master's 7 337 $51,305 $53,082 $39,960
First Professional 1 0 $58,136 $58,136 -
Doctoral 1 7 - - -

Top programs at Delta State University by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Bachelor's 46 $76,031 $15,610
Educational Administration and Supervision First Professional - $58,136 -
Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's 16 $55,424 $18,500
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 99 $53,082 $26,702
Student Counseling and Personnel Services Master's 22 $52,735 $54,221
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Master's 87 $48,099 $25,732
Social Work Bachelor's 20 $47,196 $23,125
Biology, General Bachelor's 41 $46,266 $19,500
Business/Commerce, General Bachelor's 20 $45,058 $15,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas Bachelor's 78 $43,300 $19,822
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General Bachelor's 16 $41,285 $22,375
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Bachelor's 42 $41,177 $20,000
Psychology, General Bachelor's 25 $37,868 $18,250
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management Bachelor's 9 $36,216 $24,251
Education, General Doctoral 7 - -

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at Delta State University?
Delta State University is a public institution in Cleveland, Mississippi. The acceptance rate is 100.0%. The average SAT score is 1,050. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,620 students.
How much do Delta State University former students earn?
Federally aided former students at Delta State University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $41,991 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $36,265.
How much does Delta State University cost?
The average net price at Delta State University is $13,540. In-state tuition is $8,605 and out-of-state tuition is $8,605. Median student debt at graduation is $20,390.
What is the graduation rate at Delta State University?
Delta State University has a 47.4% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 66.7%.
Is Delta State University worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Delta State University is $20,390, while former students earn a median of $41,991 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 49% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 69.4% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $216.

Sources & methodology

Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.

Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from Delta State University

Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.