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Wright State University (WSU) is a medium-sized public institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The campus is home to over 7,000 undergraduates and nearly 3,000 graduate students. There, students can pursue degrees in a variety of fields that range from accounting to theatre studies. The campus supports a college of engineering & computer science; health, education, and human service; liberal arts; science & mathematics; and business.


Overview of Wright State University (WSU)


After class, Wright State students have innumerable ways to train their bodies and enrich other parts of themselves. For physical activities, students can take advantage of many resources including the challenge course, climbing gym, racquetball courts, swimming pool, and the fitness center, among other facilities. For more structured recreation, there are intramural leagues and activities in sports such as badminton, billiards, 3v3 basketball, disc golf, table tennis, and whiffleball, among others. For those who would like to compete against area schools, there are club sport options in bowling, cheerleading, ultimate frisbee, softball, and gymnastics, to name a few.

There are even off-campus recreation opportunities. Intrepid students can take off on guided backpacking trips in the Grand Canyon, sea kayaking trips in the Everglades, or rock climbing in Red River Gorge. The Campus Recreation's Outdoor Resource Center maintains a Discord server where adventuresome students can keep abreast of upcoming trips.

General Information


School Type Public
Campus Setting Suburb: Large
Campus Housing Yes
Student Faculty Ratio 14:1
Graduation Rate 44%
Year Founded 1967

Student Enrollment


Total Students10,295

Undergraduate
7,477
Graduate
2,818

Undergraduate Student

Male 3,365
3,365
Female 4,112
4,112

Graduate Student

Male 1,268
1,268
Female 1,550
1,550

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WSU Acceptance Rate and Admissions


APPLICATIONS6,338

Male 2,514
Female 3,824

ACCEPTANCE6,084

Male 2,388
Female 3,709

Acceptance Rate96%

Male 95%
Female 97%

Enrollment 1,156

Male 478
Female 668
Admissions
Application Fee NA
High School GPA Required
High School Rank Recommended
High School Transcripts Required
College Prep Courses Recommended
Recommendations Considered But Not Required
SAT/ACT Considered But Not Required
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Considered But Not Required
Application Deadline August 23
Common Application Accepted Yes

WSU Tuition Cost & Financial Aid


As a public institution, Wright State is able to contain costs for Ohio residents. Prices do rise for non-residents, however, but even traveling scholars find the overall cost of education at Wright State to be affordable and a good value. For Ohioan students, the cost of tuition, books, and educational fees is around $12,000 and non-residents pay less than $22,000. However, the story doesn't end there.

Once room, board, and other costs are accrued, Ohioans face net costs of around $27,000. Non-residents, on the other hand, see their net costs hovering around $37,000. While the net cost is the first part of the story, Wright's financial aid office can always bring those figures down.

Indeed, the average net cost for a year at Dayton's Wright State University is just over $14,000, including room and board. This figure falls to $12,000 for students in the lowest income bracket. Yet, students from top earning households, those earning over $110,001, pay only $19,000. These costs are rather affordable and certainly out-compete most private colleges and universities.

Average net price 2020-2021
Net Price $14,198
Average Total Aid $8,040
Students Receiving Financial Aid 93%
Room & Board $12,000

Sticker Price


  • Tuition In-State - $10,390
  • Tuition Out-of-State - $19,808
  • Books and Supplies - $1,400
  • Room & Board - $12,000
  • Other - $3,170

Popular Academic Programs at WSU


Students apply to Wright State for a variety of reasons. Some want a school near their home, others want a school far from their home, and others love the campus. The best reason to attend Wright State, however, remains its academics. To measure this all-important feature, our researchers evaluated Wright State based on its educational statistics. In particular, they reviewed the retention rate, graduation rate, and the student-to-faculty ratio.

The retention rate is a measure of how many first-time, full-time students return to campus for a second year. Wright State reports that 65% of their students indeed come back for their second year. This indicates high esteem for the institution and its faculty, curriculum, and campus resources. Though only 44% of Wright's first-time, full-time students graduate from the institution, there are many who may decide to complete their degrees at another Ohio university.

Wright owes much of its academic value to another metric: the student-to-faculty ratio. This measures the average class size. For a public university, Wright State is able to keep its class sizes rather low, reporting a 14:1 ratio. Thus, every class is sure to have a manageable number of students. From first year through to senior seminars, Wright students should have no problem asking questions and receiving the hands-on tutelage they deserve.

Student Population Total


Student Population 10,295

Undergraduate
7,477
Graduate
2,818
Evening Classes : No
Online Learning : Yes

Most Popular Programs & Majors

(# of Diplomas Awarded by Subject)


All Business Majors 412 Total Graduates / 21%
Business Administration and Management, General 94 Graduates
Marketing/Marketing Management, General 63 Graduates
Accounting 56 Graduates
Business/Commerce, General 48 Graduates
All Engineering Majors 260 Total Graduates / 13%
Mechanical Engineering 102 Graduates
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 49 Graduates
Computer Engineering, General 45 Graduates
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 38 Graduates
All Health Professions and Related Majors 224 Total Graduates / 12%
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 150 Graduates
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor 38 Graduates
Public Health, General 21 Graduates
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist 11 Graduates
All Education Majors 147 Total Graduates / 8%
Elementary Education and Teaching 67 Graduates
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching 53 Graduates
Music Teacher Education 16 Graduates
Social Science Teacher Education 10 Graduates
All Psychology Majors 145 Total Graduates / 7%
Psychology, General 145 Graduates
All Other Diplomas 39%

Outcome & Salary


Though the financial outcomes of any degree are impossible to predict, students still love to have project estimated earnings for their post-college lives. Researchers help them out by rounding up the results of such surveys from Wright State University graduates. Topping the list from WSU are the electrical engineering students who report a median salary of $72,000. Engineers also round out the list of the top five earners. Biomedical engineering students report median earnings of $60,000. The middle spot of this top five goes to computer engineering students, who reported a median salary of $67,000. Note that median salary is not the same as average salary and, further, does not include other sorts of compensation, such as bonuses or benefits.

Graduates Salary
College Grads Early Career Salary $56,600
College Grads Average Salary $74,000
College Grads Mid Career Salary $95,500
Return on Investment (ROI)
10 Year Salary Earnings Potential $740,000
20 Year Salary Earnings Potential $1,695,000
Cost of Education (Net Price) 4 Year $56,792
10 Year Projected ROI $683,208
20 Year Projected ROI $1,638,208
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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