TX · Medium public institution · Overall rank #288 nationally
Data snapshot · Updated
Azimuth places Stephen F Austin State University in the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Who it’s a good fit for
Stephen F Austin State University is a public university in Nacogdoches, Texas, where the degree mix is led by Business, Health Professions, and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies. Mobility is well above average.
Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model credits the factors it measures with adding to the gap, while what it cannot explain subtracts from it.
Pell Grant recipients finish within a point of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, while those at the top pay closer to it.
The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and a student drawn to the largest programs should know that the single largest is not the highest-earning.
Stephen F Austin State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]
Stephen F Austin State University, a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, serves 8,728 undergraduates. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, it sits in the top fifth (the 80th percentile), closer to the top than to the middle.
Stephen F Austin State University admits applicants at a rate of 94.0%, against a peer median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among full-time starters, 71.7% return after the first year, against a peer median of 73.7%.
The six-year graduation rate, which tracks only first-time, full-time students, is 53.3%, against a peer median of 49.1% for comparable institutions. An estimated 24.0% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so that rate captures only a portion of the student body.
Mobility is the strongest and return the weakest, with the two sitting far apart (the 90th and 43rd percentiles). Access and affordability cluster together near the 71st and 72nd percentiles, between the extremes but much closer to each other than to either mobility or return.
Stephen F Austin State University stands out most for mobility, although its pillar profile is less even on return. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, mobility is in the 90th percentile, the strongest pillar, and affordability is in the 72nd percentile.
Azimuth places access in the 71st percentile and return in the 43rd percentile, the weakest pillar. High mobility and affordability readings sit beside a more modest return reading.
38.9% of undergraduates at Stephen F Austin State University receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks Stephen F Austin State University #424 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Pell recipients in the first-time, full-time cohort complete at a rate of 52.6%, which sits 0.7 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate. The mobility pillar is the strongest of the four for this university, and Azimuth ranks it #151 nationally. Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students.
The published cost of attendance at Stephen F Austin State University is $25,791, but the price after aid is substantially lower for the average aid recipient. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported $7,761 in-state tuition, $3,467 in required fees, and $13,940 for on-campus food and housing for the 2025-26 academic year.
Out-of-state tuition is listed at $19,911. For aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,260, with $11,531 offset from the published cost.
That average is $192 above the $14,068 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #390 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The lower after-aid price is close to the peer benchmark, despite the sticker total.
Against a published cost of attendance of $25,791 at Stephen F Austin State University, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, differs across family-income bands. The average is $10,318 in the lowest family-income band, $11,023 in the lower-middle band, $13,100 in the middle band, $17,609 in the upper-middle band, and $22,959 in the highest family-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,641. Azimuth ranks the university #390 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 45% of the published cost, an average savings of $11,531 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the is $14,260.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, with the university's average net price $192 above that benchmark. Aid offsets a large portion of published cost, though the overall average sits above the comparable-institution median.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $23,409, and 86.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median federal debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, placing the university's median $2,180 above it.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,080. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $266 a month if repaid over ten years.
Your family income
Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.
Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$13,100
After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.
Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.
Borrowing and repayment at Stephen F Austin State University
Federal borrowing is widespread at Stephen F Austin State University, and median debt at completion sits above the benchmark for comparable institutions. 86.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans; among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,409.
The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, making the university's median $2,180 above that figure. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $18,080.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 52% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $23,959 per borrower. The figures include 53% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $19,596 per federal borrower.
They also include 8% of graduates with private loans, averaging $26,720 per private borrower.
Stephen F Austin State University has a mixed return picture: the model’s expectation measure is stronger than its earnings-median position. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $55,013 four years after completion.
Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offer a different measure.
Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios based on the program mix put typical earnings at $55,013, with a downside scenario of $44,964 and an upside scenario of $70,259. Median federal debt at completion is $23,409, above the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,180.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $266 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher-than-expected earnings sit alongside debt above the peer midpoint.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $266 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers are a separate federal borrowing population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $18,080.
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
Estimated student payment · monthly
$266/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$230/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.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,013, at the 33rd percentile nationally. That is $2,288 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Azimuth places the university at the 43rd percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students.
That places the gap at the 62nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,295.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $446. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $421.
For graduates of Stephen F Austin State University, the central earnings figure is $55,013 four years after completion. Azimuth places that median in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 2,950 completers.
Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students. Program-mix earnings scenarios range from $44,964 in the downside scenario to $70,259 in the upside scenario.
An estimated 27.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The lower earnings percentile and above-expected earnings point to a mixed graduate earnings picture.
At Stephen F Austin State University, the four-year earnings picture is mixed. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $55,013 four years after completion, in the 33rd percentile.
That median is below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $57,301 by $2,288. Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students.
That places earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, in the 62nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,295.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $446. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $421.
Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix run from $44,964 in the downside scenario to $70,259 in the upside scenario. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 43rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The below-peer median and above-expected earnings point in different directions. Nursing has the highest earnings among the listed programs, with 136 degrees awarded and median earnings of $84,107 four years after completion; Azimuth ranks it #232 nationally.
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management records $56,437 four years after completion, and Azimuth ranks it #1 nationally; its earnings are 1.25x the national median for its field. Music had 76 degrees awarded, with $52,341 in median earnings four years after completion and an Azimuth national rank of #21.
Program choice corresponds with a broad range in the earnings scenarios at Stephen F Austin State University. The downside earnings scenario is $44,964 and the upside scenario is $70,259, rather than observed outcomes for separate groups of graduates.
The higher-earning fields show one part of that variation: Nursing completers have median earnings of $84,107 four years after completion, Engineering Physics completers have $80,086, and Computer and Information Sciences completers have $75,271.
Stephen F Austin State University shows earnings beyond expectations, as its graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students. represent the gap between what graduates actually earn and what the model expects for similar students.
Borrowers who complete their degrees carry a median federal student loan debt of $23,409. That amount is above the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,180.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $266 a month if repaid over ten years. The median for Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate group, is $18,080.
Stronger-than-expected graduate pay sits alongside a median debt load above the peer median, a mix that points in different directions for families weighing earnings after completion against borrowing.
What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$2,295
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$446
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$1,849
These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Stephen F Austin State University reported 21,123 first-year applicants, with 17,614 admitted and 2,372 enrolled. The admission rate is 94.0%, so most applicants in the reported applicant pool received an offer.
That rate is above the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).
SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
94.0%
25th percentile
950
Median
1040
75th percentile
1130
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Program choice matters here because higher-earning and more moderate-earning fields appear side by side. At the higher-earning end, Azimuth ranks Nursing #232 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; median earnings four years after completion are $84,107 from 136 degrees awarded.
Computer and Information Sciences records $75,271 on 54 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks the field #175 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Music has median earnings of $52,341 four years after completion, 76 degrees awarded, and an Azimuth rank of #21 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.
At the more moderate end, Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management shows $56,437, 21 degrees awarded, and an Azimuth national field rank of #1 among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Program choice matters here because the leading ranked fields show different earnings four years after completion. Azimuth lists 27 ranked bachelor's programs among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Its best placement is Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management, ranked #1 nationally, with 21 degrees awarded and median earnings of $56,437 four years after completion. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences ranks #18 nationally through Azimuth, with 106 degrees awarded and $44,600 in median earnings.
The program mix at Stephen F Austin State University leans toward professional fields, with Business accounting for 19.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 12.8% and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at 12.5%. Across the university, 27 programs carry an Azimuth national rank, and 35 have published four-year earnings data.
The largest single program is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, at 278 degrees awarded, with Kinesiology and Physical Education next at 149 and Nursing at 136. The strongest programs are not the largest ones.
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management is the highest-ranked program in its field, with 21 degrees awarded and median earnings of $56,437 four years after completion. It ranks #1 in Texas.
Forestry follows closely, ranking #2 in Texas within its field, with 36 degrees awarded and a benchmark ratio of 0.95x against the national median for its field. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences ranks #18 nationally and #3 in Texas within its field, with 106 degrees awarded and median earnings of $44,600.
The highest-earning program is Nursing, at $84,107, though it ranks #232 nationally within its field. The pattern is one of strength spread across several applied fields rather than concentrated in a single department.
The highest-ranked programs are Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management, Forestry, and Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, and none is among the three largest by degrees awarded. The best-paid program, Nursing, is the third-largest, while the largest program, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, earns $50,052 and ranks #69 nationally within its field. STEM fields account for 7.5% of degrees awarded.
Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 278 degrees awarded
$50,052
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 149 degrees awarded
$55,250
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 136 degrees awarded
$84,107
Business/Commerce, General 133 degrees awarded
$61,686
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General 106 degrees awarded
$44,600
Social Work 92 degrees awarded
$50,754
Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.
How does Stephen F Austin State University serve students from different backgrounds?
Completion and modeled earnings make mobility the university’s clearest pillar. Azimuth places its mobility pillar in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 53.3%, while Pell recipients complete at 52.6%, below the overall rate by 0.7 percentage points. Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The completion figures and modeled earnings point in the same direction.
Admission is broad at 94.0%, and Stephen F Austin State University enrolls 8,728 undergraduates in Nacogdoches, Texas. 38.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 24.0% arrive as transfers or part-time students.
Azimuth places the university’s access pillar in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission rate, Pell share, and transfer estimate describe access from several angles.
Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.
A shortlist for different decisions
Choose a row to compare the figures with Stephen F Austin State University.
Admissions peerSam Houston State University90.3% admitted+
Comparison with Stephen F Austin State University
Measure
Stephen F Austin State University
Sam Houston State University
Peer earnings · 4 years
$55,013
$57,044+$2,031 vs Stephen F Austin State University
Average annual net price
$14,260
$16,404+$2,144 vs Stephen F Austin State University · higher cost
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.
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.
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.
Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
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.
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
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
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