10-yr median earnings
$49,361
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University is a public institution in Valdosta, Georgia. 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.
- $10,945
- Avg net price / yr
- $49,361
- 10-yr median earnings
- 42.0%
- 150%-time completion
- 72.3%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
Valdosta State University pairs above-median former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 30%
- former-student earnings, US
- 72.3%
- acceptance rate
- 42.0%
- 150%-time completion
- +25%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Small
Carnegie: Doctoral/Prof
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Valdosta 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 ("Doctoral/Professional Universities"), 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
48/100
Valdosta 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 B-
$49,361
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B
$10,945
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
42.0%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$24,779
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment D
53.6%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
71.9%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$10,945
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
42.0%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 42.0%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Valdosta State University vs peers
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 Valdosta 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.
Valdosta State University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$49,361 Top 30% higher than 70% of 5,103 US colleges
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 | Valdosta State University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $49,361 | #1528 of 5103 | 70th |
| Average net price | $10,945 | #1301 of 5020 | 74th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 42.0% | #3523 of 4858 | 27th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 6,622 | #567 of 5462 | 90th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
6,622
Undergraduate enrollment
72.3%
Acceptance rate
1,013
SAT average
42.0%
150%-time completion
$49,361
10-yr median earnings
71.9%
First-year retention
How Valdosta State University ranks in Georgia
State rank among 141 reporting Georgia colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Valdosta State University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $49,361 | #25 of 141 | 82nd |
| Average net price | $10,945 | #34 of 127 | 73rd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 42.0% | #60 of 123 | 51st |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 6,622 | #14 of 133 | 89th |
Highest former-student earnings in Georgia
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami Ad School-Atlanta | $106,192 | $60,682 |
| 2 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | $102,772 | $12,116 |
| 3 | Chamberlain University-Georgia | $92,405 | $33,188 |
| 4 | United States University | $80,980 | - |
| 5 | Emory University | $80,137 | $22,585 |
| 6 | Emory University-Oxford College | $80,137 | $37,920 |
| 7 | University of Georgia | $68,726 | $13,936 |
| 8 | Galen Health Institutes-Savannah | $61,480 | - |
| 9 | Grady Health System Professional Schools | $60,726 | - |
| 10 | Spelman College | $59,993 | $38,967 |
| 11 | Mercer University | $58,354 | $23,847 |
| 12 | Georgia College & State University | $58,140 | $20,686 |
| 25 | Valdosta State UniversityThis school | $49,361 | $10,945 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 72.3% |
| SAT Average | 1,013 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 440 – 530 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 480 – 570 |
| ACT Average | 20 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 16 – 22 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Valdosta State University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$9,378 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$9,541 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$11,877 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$15,905 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Valdosta State University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $6,124 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $17,836 |
| Average Net Price | $10,945 |
52.3%
Pell Grant Rate
44.0%
Federal Loan Rate
$24,779
Median Debt
$263/mo
Monthly Payment
Valdosta State University costs less today than it did in 2013
Average net price fell from $15,672 to $11,298 (-27.9%) between 2013 and 2023, before any inflation adjustment, which makes the real-terms fall larger still. Most colleges moved the other way: the median change across the 4,315 schools measured over the same span was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $15,6722023 · $11,298
Over the same years, enrollment went -28.8% (9,634 → 6,858 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
62.8%
Female
30.8%
First Generation
Outcomes
71.9%
Retention Rate
$39,416
Median Earnings (6yr)
61.2%
Earning Over $25K
53.6%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 42.0% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 71.9% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $39,416 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $49,361 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 61.2% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 53.6% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $24,779 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $263/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 32 | 1,409 | $52,646 | $77,890 | $25,667 |
| Master's | 15 | 702 | $68,340 | $86,927 | $32,405 |
| Graduate Certificate | 3 | 149 | - | - | - |
| Associate's | 1 | 12 | - | - | - |
Top programs at Valdosta State University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$86,927 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$84,918 median earnings
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$81,195 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$77,890 median earnings
- Teacher Education and Prof…
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
$76,119 median earnings
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$75,310 median earnings
- Student Counseling and Per…
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
$71,449 median earnings
- Information Science/Studies
Information Science/Studies
$71,257 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.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Valdosta State University? ▼
Valdosta State University is a public institution in Valdosta, Georgia. The acceptance rate is 72.3%. The average SAT score is 1,013. Undergraduate enrollment is 6,622 students.
How much do Valdosta State University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Valdosta State University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $49,361 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $39,416.
How much does Valdosta State University cost? ▼
The average net price at Valdosta State University is $10,945. In-state tuition is $6,124 and out-of-state tuition is $17,836. Median student debt at graduation is $24,779.
What is the graduation rate at Valdosta State University? ▼
Valdosta State University has a 42.0% 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 71.9%.
Is Valdosta State University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Valdosta State University is $24,779, while former students earn a median of $49,361 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 50% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 53.6% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $263.
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.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Valdosta State University
- Compare Valdosta State University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Georgia side by side.Browse Georgia
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
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.