How this school serves students from different economic backgrounds, including Pell students, first-generation pathways, and long-term mobility outcomes.
Albany State University serves a student population defined by broad access and deep community ties. 69.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and 33.5% are first-generation college students — figures that place Albany State among the most accessible institutions in the Azimuth coverage set. Transfer enrollment accounts for 25.4% of the student body, reflecting the university's role as a destination for students who begin their academic journeys elsewhere and seek a supportive environment to complete their degrees. Azimuth ranks Albany State University #8 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The graduation rate tells a more complicated story. The six-year completion rate is 31.1%, and 18.8% of Pell-eligible students complete within that window — figures that reflect both the ambition of the students Albany State enrolls and the structural challenges that accompany serving a predominantly low-income, first-generation population at scale. Retention stands at 78.6% in the first year. For graduates from low-income backgrounds, median earnings reach $32,600 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 6.0 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Albany State University #341 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. As explored in Azimuth's analysis of access and outcomes at scale, the gap between what an institution could deliver per student and what it does deliver across a broad population is the central tension for institutions like Albany State — schools that open their doors widely and absorb the full complexity of that commitment.
Albany State University serves a student population defined by broad access and deep community ties. 69.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and 33.5% are first-generation college students — figures that place Albany State among the most accessible institutions in the Azimuth coverage set. Transfer enrollment accounts for 25.4% of the student body, reflecting the university's role as a destination for students who begin their academic journeys elsewhere and seek a supportive environment to complete their degrees. Azimuth ranks Albany State University #8 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The graduation rate tells a more complicated story. The six-year completion rate is 31.1%, and 18.8% of Pell-eligible students complete within that window — figures that reflect both the ambition of the students Albany State enrolls and the structural challenges that accompany serving a predominantly low-income, first-generation population at scale. Retention stands at 78.6% in the first year. For graduates from low-income backgrounds, median earnings reach $32,600 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 6.0 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Albany State University #341 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. As explored in Azimuth's analysis of access and outcomes at scale, the gap between what an institution could deliver per student and what it does deliver across a broad population is the central tension for institutions like Albany State — schools that open their doors widely and absorb the full complexity of that commitment.
Albany State University serves a student population defined by broad access and deep community ties. 69.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and 33.5% are first-generation college students — figures that place Albany State among the most accessible institutions in the Azimuth coverage set. Transfer enrollment accounts for 25.4% of the student body, reflecting the university's role as a destination for students who begin their academic journeys elsewhere and seek a supportive environment to complete their degrees. Azimuth ranks Albany State University #8 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The graduation rate tells a more complicated story. The six-year completion rate is 31.1%, and 18.8% of Pell-eligible students complete within that window — figures that reflect both the ambition of the students Albany State enrolls and the structural challenges that accompany serving a predominantly low-income, first-generation population at scale. Retention stands at 78.6% in the first year. For graduates from low-income backgrounds, median earnings reach $32,600 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 6.0 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Albany State University #341 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. As explored in Azimuth's analysis of access and outcomes at scale, the gap between what an institution could deliver per student and what it does deliver across a broad population is the central tension for institutions like Albany State — schools that open their doors widely and absorb the full complexity of that commitment.
