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At Worcester State University, you’ll be less than an hour west of Boston and Cambridge. Worcester itself is a midsize city, which gives you more options to choose from when you go looking for fun and activities to enjoy. This is a public, 4-year university that offers a good education. The student population is low at around 6,200 and the student-to-faculty ratio is a bit high at 17 to 1. The degrees awarded to graduates range from bachelor’s degrees to master’s. The certificates include post baccalaureate and post-master’s.


Overview of Worcester State University


The university is compact, with buildings placed closely together. For instance, the Coughlin Athletic Field is close to Sheehan Hall, which is the student dormitory. The Sullivan Academic Center is just next to the Helen G. Shaughnessy Administration Building. You may not even need to bring your car since it’s easy to get from one building to another. And wellness center stands ready to treat any health issues you may have.

General Information


School Type Public
Campus Setting City: Midsize
Campus Housing Yes
Student Faculty Ratio 17:1
Graduation Rate 58%
Year Founded 1874

Student Enrollment


Total Students6,204

Undergraduate
5,332
Graduate
872

Undergraduate Student

Male 2,026
2,026
Female 3,306
3,306

Graduate Student

Male 331
331
Female 541
541

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Admissions


APPLICATIONS4,773

Male 1,609
Female 3,164

ACCEPTANCE3,150

Male 1,014
Female 2,152

Acceptance Rate66%

Male 63%
Female 68%

Enrollment 882

Male 303
Female 579
Admissions
Application Fee $50
High School GPA Required
High School Rank NA
High School Transcripts Required
College Prep Courses Required
Recommendations Recommended
SAT/ACT Recommended
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Required
Application Deadline June 1
Common Application Accepted NA

Tuition Cost & Financial Aid


The price you’ll first see from Worcester State University is the total cost, which include tuition (in- or out-of-state), room and board, books, supplies, and other various fees and expenses. In a recent academic year, this amount was $25,589. However, if you qualify for financial aid, this can help bring the cost down significantly.

Most schools track their average net price, which refers to the total cost to attend school for a year after the school has applied all of your scholarships, grants, and federal or private loans to your bill. For a recent school year, this was $16,242. Your net price could vary and depends on how much financial aid you are eligible for, which mostly depends on your family’s annual income from the year before. Families who earned less than $30,000 paid around $16,011. Families earning more than $100,001 paid around $21,857.

As a freshman student, you’ll want to see if you qualify for financial aid. About 85% of WSU freshmen qualified in a recent year. A smaller percentage (68%) received an average of $5,375 in grants or scholarships and 50% received an average of $1,806 in institutional grants and scholarships.

Average net price 2018-2019
Net Price $16,242
Average Total Aid $5,375
Students Receiving Financial Aid 85%
Room & Board $12,360

Sticker Price


  • Tuition In-State - $10,161
  • Tuition Out-of-State - $16,241
  • Books and Supplies - $1,368
  • Room & Board - $12,360
  • Other - $1,700

Academics


The five most popular degree programs at Worcester State University are health professions and related programs; business, management, marketing and related support services; homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting and related protective services; psychology; and biological and biomedical sciences. In the first two years of school, you’ll take mostly general education classes. When you finish these requirements, you’ll begin exploring degree programs that you’re most interested in and completing the courses for your major. Make sure that you take the introductory classes for the major that interests you. Some programs may require you to be officially approved to declare a major before you begin to take even the introductory classes.

If you have any time conflicts with one or more of your classes, you may be able to talk to your advisor and see if you can drop those classes causing time conflicts and add either evening classes or online classes.

The most popular degree programs at Worcester State University are health professions and related programs; business, management, marketing and related support services; homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting and related protective services; psychology; and biological and biomedical sciences.

During your first year at WSU, you’ll decide you’ll decide whether or not you want to return for your second year and beyond. If you do return, you’ll become part of the retention rate. For WSU, this is 79%, meaning that more than a majority of students find the education here worth returning for after their first year. The 4-year graduation rate is a little low at 41% and the 6-year graduation rate is closer to the average at 58%.

Student Population Total


Student Population 6,204

Undergraduate
5,332
Graduate
872
Evening Classes : Yes
Online Learning : Yes

Most Popular Programs & Majors

(# of Diplomas Awarded by Subject)


Health Professions and Related Programs 230 Total Graduates / 21%
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling 75 Graduates
Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 40 Graduates
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 39 Graduates
Occupational Therapy/Therapist 28 Graduates
All Business Majors 188 Total Graduates / 17%
Business Administration and Management, General 186 Graduates
Business/Commerce, General 2 Graduates
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services 124 Total Graduates / 11%
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 124 Graduates
All Psychology Majors 124 Total Graduates / 11%
Psychology, General 124 Graduates
All Biological & Biomedical Majors 89 Total Graduates / 8%
Biology/Biological Sciences, General 67 Graduates
Biotechnology 22 Graduates
All Other Diplomas 32%

Outcome & Salary


It’s always good to know how other graduates of a school have done when you are considering getting an education from there yourself. Graduates of Worcester State University earn early career salaries of about $52,500 and their mid-career salaries increase to $88,600.

Now, you should keep the 4-year cost of education in mind ($64,968 on average). This will affect your total income, especially if you paid for much of your school with loans.

Based on the numbers, a graduate’s 10-year salary earning potential is $660,840 and their 20-year earning potential is $1,546,840. If you subtract your 4-year cost of education from both of these numbers, you’ll have your projected return on investment (ROI). The expected 10-year projected ROI is $595,872 and the 20-year projected ROI is $1,481,872.

However, some high school graduates decide to get right into the work force, or perhaps don’t want to add the stress of college debt to their lives. They find jobs instead. While there are outliers that can make good money with a trade education or due to their own brilliance, these workers national average salary is $38,792. After 10 years, their projected total income is $387,920 and, 20 years later, it is $775,840.

Graduates Salary
College Grads Early Career Salary $52,200
College Grads Average Salary $66,084
College Grads Mid Career Salary $88,600
Return on Investment (ROI)
10 Year Salary Earnings Potential $660,840
20 Year Salary Earnings Potential $1,546,840
Cost of Education (Net Price) 4 Year $64,968
10 Year Projected ROI $595,872
20 Year Projected ROI $1,481,872
No College Education Salary Comparison
National Average Salary $38,792
10 Year Projected Income $387,920
20 Year Projected Income $775,840

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