Kent State University - Profile, Rankings and Data | US News Best Colleges

Kent State University

#227 in National Universities (tie)

4 year • Kent, OH

4 year • Kent, OH
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Overview

Kent State University is a public institution that was founded in 1910. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 20,418 (fall 2022), its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 953 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Kent State University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #227. Its in-state tuition and fees are $12,846; out-of-state tuition and fees are $22,316.


Kent State University is located in northeastern Ohio, about 40 miles south of Cleveland, with seven regional campuses situated across the state. Students at Kent State can choose from more than 300 academic programs, including graduate degrees from the College of Business Administration, the College of Education, Health and Human Services and the highly ranked School of Speech Pathology and Audiology. Undergraduates at Kent State have a unique opportunity to earn a degree in peace and conflict studies, which is offered through the Center for Applied Conflict Management. This center was created shortly after the headline-making 1970 incident in which Ohio National Guardsmen killed four Kent State students during a Vietnam War protest.


Outside the classroom, Kent State students can get involved in more than 200 campus organizations, including Greek life, leadership programs and community service clubs. There are also many events nearby at the Blossom Music Center, the Porthouse Theatre and the Wick Poetry Center, as well as in the neighboring cities of Cleveland and Akron. Student athletes can get involved by playing intramural sports or by trying out for the many Kent State Golden Flashes varsity teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. The members of new wave band Devo attended Kent, as did actor Michael Keaton, comedian Drew Carey and writer David Sedaris, although they did not graduate. Kent State alumni include former talk show host Arsenio Hall and many NFL players, including two-time Super Bowl winner James Harrison.

Kent State University is a public institution that was founded in 1910. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 20,418 (fall 2022), its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 953 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Kent State University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #227. Its in-state tuition and fees are $12,846; out-of-state tuition and fees are $22,316.


Kent State University is located in northeastern Ohio, about 40 miles south of Cleveland, with seven regional campuses situated across the state. Students at Kent State can choose from more than 300 academic programs, including graduate degrees from the College of Business Administration, the College of Education, Health and Human Services and the highly ranked School of Speech Pathology and Audiology. Undergraduates at Kent State have a unique opportunity to earn a degree in peace and conflict studies, which is offered through the Center for Applied Conflict Management. This center was created shortly after the headline-making 1970 incident in which Ohio National Guardsmen killed four Kent State students during a Vietnam War protest.


Outside the classroom, Kent State students can get involved in more than 200 campus organizations, including Greek life, leadership programs and community service clubs. There are also many events nearby at the Blossom Music Center, the Porthouse Theatre and the Wick Poetry Center, as well as in the neighboring cities of Cleveland and Akron. Student athletes can get involved by playing intramural sports or by trying out for the many Kent State Golden Flashes varsity teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. The members of new wave band Devo attended Kent, as did actor Michael Keaton, comedian Drew Carey and writer David Sedaris, although they did not graduate. Kent State alumni include former talk show host Arsenio Hall and many NFL players, including two-time Super Bowl winner James Harrison.

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At-a-Glance

Setting

Suburban

In-state tuition and fees

$12,846

Undergraduate Enrollment

20,418

Acceptance Rate

88%

2024 Rankings

Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.

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Admissions

Aug. 1

Application Deadline

88%

Acceptance Rate

SAT Range*

1000-1210

ACT Range*

18-25

High School GPA*

3.7

* These are the average scores of applications admitted to this school. Ranges represent admitted applicants who fell within the 25th and 75th percentile.

Will You Get Into Kent State University?

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Data provided by U.S. News College Compass Users.

Cost

Out-of-State Tuition & Fees

$22,316

In-State Tuition & Fees

$12,846

Room & Board

$13,040(2023-24)

Average Need-Based Aid Package

$14,372

$18,778

Annual Cost*

$18,778

Annual Cost*

Out-of-State Tuition & Fees

$22,316

In-State Tuition & Fees

$12,846

Room & Board

$13,040(2023-24)

Average Need-Based Aid Package

$14,372

*Average in-state cost after aid

Academics

50%

4-Year Graduation Rate

19:1

Student/Faculty Ratio

57%

Classes With Fewer Than 20 Students

Popular Majors

MAJOR

% OF GRADUATES

ALUMNI STARTING SALARY

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse

11%

N/A

Psychology, General

7%

N/A

Business Administration and Management, General

5%

N/A

Fashion Merchandising

5%

N/A

Marketing/Marketing Management, General

3%

N/A

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
11% Percent of Graduates
N/A Alumni Starting Salary
Psychology, General
7% Percent of Graduates
N/A Alumni Starting Salary
Business Administration and Management, General
5% Percent of Graduates
N/A Alumni Starting Salary
Fashion Merchandising
5% Percent of Graduates
N/A Alumni Starting Salary
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
3% Percent of Graduates
N/A Alumni Starting Salary

* In cases where salary data at the specific major level is unavailable, a general salary for the major category is displayed.

Faculty Research Impact

Bibliometric Rank

165

Bibliometrics is the statistical analyses of publications and citations for the purpose of measuring faculty research impact.

Publications Cited in Top 25% of Journals

60%

Publications Cited in Top 5% of Journals

15%

Total Papers published between 2018-2022

5,800

Citations Per Publication

10:1

Data provided byLast updated 2023.

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Students

20,418

Undergraduate Enrollment

Graduate Enrollment

5,436

Total Enrollment

25,854

Full-Time Degree-Seeking Students

17,627

Student Diversity

Gender Distribution

Male38%
Female62%

Ethnic Diversity

19%

Minority Enrollment

19%

Minority Enrollment

75%

White

9%

Black

4%

Hispanic

4%

Two or more races

3%

International

2%

Asian

2%

Unknown

Not Specified is not included in this breakdown due to an enrollment of 0%.

Campus Life

Housing and Dorms

Types of campus housing available:

  • coed dorms
  • sorority housing
  • fraternity housing
  • apartment for single students
  • special housing for disabled students
  • special housing for international students
  • cooperative housing
  • theme housing
  • wellness housing
  • Student Activities

    73+

    Sports Teams

    23

    Fraternities

    11

    Sororities

    After College

    Graduation Rate

    50%

    Graduating Students Who Have Borrowed (any loan type, 2021)

    69%

    Average Debt at Graduation

    $30,770

    $38,063

    Median Starting Salary of Alumni

    $38,063

    Median Starting Salary of Alumni

    Graduation Rate

    50%

    Graduating Students Who Have Borrowed (any loan type, 2021)

    69%

    Average Debt at Graduation

    $30,770

    Reviews & Ratings

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    Undergraduate data are based on the 2022 school year.

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