College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Kennesaw State University

GALarge public institution · Overall rank #24 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Kennesaw State University #24 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Kennesaw State University is a public university in Georgia where the degree mix tilts toward Business, Engineering, and Computer and Information Sciences. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The factors the model measures add to expected earnings, while the remainder it cannot explain subtracts from them.

Pell students complete below the overall rate, and access is among the highest we track. The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it, so the price case turns on income.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the best-paid programs are in engineering and computing fields.

Kennesaw State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
69.2%
Six-year completion[2]
52.2%
Four-year earnings[3]
$68,306

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$15,185
Median student debt[4]
$23,833
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$19,000

Kennesaw State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Kennesaw State University is a public university in Kennesaw, Georgia, enrolling 41,254 undergraduates. It sits near the very top of the Azimuth composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (98th percentile).

The university admits 69.2% of applicants, a rate that is lower than the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Among full-time first-year students, 76.7% return for a second year, against a peer median—the midpoint among comparable institutions—of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate for that cohort is 52.2%, compared with a peer median of 65.0%. An estimated 26.2% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the first-time full-time cohort describes a portion of the student body rather than the whole.

The four sit far apart. Mobility is the strongest (99th percentile), and access is also high (94th percentile).

Return is the weakest of the four (65th percentile), with affordability in between.

Azimuth ranks Kennesaw State University #24 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. The composite shows a standout mobility pillar at the 99th percentile alongside strong access at the 94th percentile.

Affordability sits at the 69th percentile and the return pillar registers at the 65th percentile. The strongest pillar is mobility; the weakest is return.

Pell Grant recipients make up 37.7% of undergraduates here, a share that measures financial access through federal need-based aid. For access, Azimuth ranks Kennesaw State University #96 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 47.1% within six years, a rate that sits 5.1 percentage points below the figure for the entering cohort as a whole. Both rates are measured on the first-time full-time cohort.

Azimuth ranks the university #12 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $268 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Kennesaw State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#24

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 99
Access & reach
National percentile: 94
Affordability
National percentile: 69
Return on investment
National percentile: 65

Top-ranked majors

  1. Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General#3
  2. General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations#5
  3. Computer Programming#7

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Kennesaw State University briefing

Kennesaw State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Kennesaw State University is $24,008, but the average aid recipient pays considerably less. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $5,760 and required fees of $1,188 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $14,348.

Out-of-state students face a tuition of $21,660. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $15,048, a savings of $8,960 against the sticker price.

That is $586 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #436 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at Kennesaw State University is $24,008. Azimuth ranks the university #436 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $12,235, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $15,185, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $19,309. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,074.

Aid covers about 37% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the overall average net price to $15,048. That figure is $586 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $23,833 in federal student loans, which is $3,757 above the peer median of $20,076. 83.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $19,000. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$15,185

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw State University records a median federal debt of $23,833 among completers who borrowed. Against the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's figure is $3,757 above.

83.0% of federal aid recipients use federal loans. Parent borrowers represent a separate population; their median Parent PLUS loan is $19,000.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 47% of its 4,227 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $24,067 per borrower. Of those graduates, 46% held federal loans averaging $21,038, including 6% who also carried private loans averaging $23,784.

Median earnings for Kennesaw State University graduates four years after completion stand at $68,306, a figure that places the university in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $268 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a position in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Program-mix scenarios suggest a typical earnings level of $68,306, a downside of $49,339, and an upside of $91,791. The median federal student debt at completion is $23,833, which is above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,757.

If repaid over ten years, that balance corresponds to an estimated monthly payment of $271 for borrowers.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $19,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $271.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$23,833
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$19,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$271/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$241/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Kennesaw State University briefing

Kennesaw State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Kennesaw State University reports median earnings of $68,306 four years after completion. That institution-wide figure is a starting point; results for particular fields can differ.

Read earnings alongside retention and completion. Earnings among completers do not include every student who entered the institution, while the lower and higher planning estimates describe modeled mixes of program outcomes rather than observed salary percentiles.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$12,677
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$12,945
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$268

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Kennesaw State University briefing

Kennesaw State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Kennesaw State University admitted 69.2% of applicants, a rate below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 33,513 applicants, 26,622 admitted, and 9,537 enrolled first-year students.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
69.2%
25th percentile
1010
Median
1100
75th percentile
1210

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Kennesaw State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Kennesaw State University?[12]

The largest program records at Kennesaw State University, by reported degrees awarded, are: Psychology, General (448 awards); Business Administration, Management and Operations (290 awards); Mechanical Engineering (259 awards); Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (256 awards); Biology, General (246 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.

Among those larger programs, reported median earnings four years after completion include Psychology, General at $50,645; Business Administration, Management and Operations at $70,708; Mechanical Engineering at $88,860. Program size and earnings answer different questions; the largest program need not have the highest earnings.

Keep individual program records separate from broader degree categories and from records for other reporting periods. Those views can describe different parts of the university’s academic mix.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Psychology, General 448 degrees awarded
$50,645
Business Administration, Management and Operations 290 degrees awarded
$70,708
Mechanical Engineering 259 degrees awarded
$88,860
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 256 degrees awarded
$51,386
Biology, General 246 degrees awarded
$57,435
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 240 degrees awarded
$87,935

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Kennesaw State University briefing

How does Kennesaw State University serve students from different backgrounds?

Azimuth ranks the mobility pillar for Kennesaw State University #12 among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 52.2%.

Pell recipients complete at 47.1%, below the overall rate by 5.1 percentage points. Graduates earn about $268 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a result that sits in the 53rd percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the access pillar of Kennesaw State University in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 69.2% of applicants and enrolls 41,254 undergraduates.

Pell Grant recipients make up 37.7% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 26.2% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students.

06 / Kennesaw State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Kennesaw State University?[15]

The comparisons for Kennesaw State University cover higher reported admission rates, similar admissions profiles, higher reported earnings at similar cost, lower reported cost with similar earnings and options in the same state or region. The similar-schools brief keeps these questions in separate groups, with related institutional profiles shown as another comparison.

Each group has its own candidate list and ordering. A high position within one group is not a rank against all the schools in the other groups, and a school can appear more than once for different reasons. Check the source definition and earnings period for the comparison you choose.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Kennesaw State University.

Admissions peerUniversity of North Georgia67.9% admitted
Comparison with Kennesaw State University
MeasureKennesaw State UniversityUniversity of North Georgia
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,306$55,974-$12,332 vs Kennesaw State University
Average annual net price$15,048$9,823-$5,225 vs Kennesaw State University · lower cost
Admission rate69.2%67.9%
Explore University of North Georgia →
Higher-admission alternativePiedmont University93.3% admitted
Comparison with Kennesaw State University
MeasureKennesaw State UniversityPiedmont University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,306$65,743-$2,563 vs Kennesaw State University
Average annual net price$15,048$20,599+$5,551 vs Kennesaw State University · higher cost
Admission rate69.2%93.3%
Nearby alternativeUniversity of GeorgiaNearby option · GA
Comparison with Kennesaw State University
MeasureKennesaw State UniversityUniversity of Georgia
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,306$74,144+$5,838 vs Kennesaw State University
Average annual net price$15,048$13,936-$1,112 vs Kennesaw State University · lower cost
Admission rate69.2%37.7%
Explore University of Georgia →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Tulsa$79,396 earnings
Comparison with Kennesaw State University
MeasureKennesaw State UniversityUniversity of Tulsa
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,306$79,396+$11,090 vs Kennesaw State University
Average annual net price$15,048$15,000-$48 vs Kennesaw State University · lower cost
Admission rate69.2%61.5%
Lower-cost alternativeMiddle Georgia State University$12,361 average net price
Comparison with Kennesaw State University
MeasureKennesaw State UniversityMiddle Georgia State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,306$62,068-$6,238 vs Kennesaw State University
Average annual net price$15,048$12,361-$2,687 vs Kennesaw State University · lower cost
Admission rate69.2%99.7%
Similar profileFlorida International UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Kennesaw State University
MeasureKennesaw State UniversityFlorida International University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,306$62,192-$6,114 vs Kennesaw State University
Average annual net price$15,048$9,288-$5,760 vs Kennesaw State University · lower cost
Admission rate69.2%54.7%
Explore Florida International University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings