Valdosta State University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Valdosta State University

Valdosta State University operates as a public institution located in Valdosta, Georgia (city: small), with a total reported enrollment of 6,622 students of which 8,592 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Valdosta State University is categorized as “17” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 72.3%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,013 and an ACT midpoint of 20. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $10,945, with published in-state tuition of $6,124 and a Pell grant recipient share of 52.3%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $24,779, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 42.0%, and the first-year retention rate is 71.9%. Graduates earn a median of $49,361 ten years after enrolling, compared with $39,416 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 534600.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 61.2% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.