Southern Connecticut State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in New Haven, Connecticut. It enrolls 6,295 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorNew England Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
60/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes42
Value48
Affordability58
Selectivity18
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 91.5%, Southern Connecticut State University is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
91.5%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Southern Connecticut State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
11.8 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Southern Connecticut State University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $20,857 per year. That's in line with the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$20,857
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
41%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
52%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$13,438
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$27,378
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,938
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,738
Books & Supplies
$1,600
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,148
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$8,296
Total Cost of Attendance
$29,673
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$17,736
$30,001 – $48,000
$18,729
$48,001 – $75,000
$19,437
$75,001 – $110,000
$22,532
Over $110,000
$27,809
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,78510%percentile
$6,55025%percentile
$22,250Medianpercentile
$26,02475%percentile
$35,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $16,500
↓ $5,750
No Pell $13,000
↓ $9,250
Dependent students $14,750
↓ $7,500
Independent students $16,830
↓ $5,420
Female students $15,720
↓ $6,530
Male students $14,000
↓ $8,250
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,710, less than completers ($22,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
52% of full-time students who enrolled at Southern Connecticut State University graduate within six years, and 77% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
52%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
77%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Southern Connecticut State University earn a median of $55,043 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$55,043
Earning > $25K
82%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$45,500
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$52,300
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$45,800
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$48,100
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$49,400
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $6,800, about 13% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
13.7 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 83% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Southern Connecticut State University is home to 6,295 students, a large student community. Some distinctive traits: 39% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
6,295
Part-Time
13%
First-Generation
39%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 42.1%2,650
Hispanic 25.9%1,632
Black 20.4%1,286
Other 4.5%285
Asian 4.0%252
International 0.8%52
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Southern Connecticut State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Midsize CityNew Haven, Connecticut
Housing
Partly residential2,291 beds available
Adult Learners
14%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
What You Can Study
Southern Connecticut State University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
85 distinct programs across
23 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Southern Connecticut State University is 11:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$20,773
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$36M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$96,639
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
409 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
177
43%
$112,243
Associate Professors
153
37%
$89,619
Assistant Professors
77
19%
$75,423
Instructors
2
0%
$69,539
Pros & Cons of Southern Connecticut State University
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Southern Connecticut State University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
Solid post-graduation earnings
Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
Below-average completion rate
Modest first-year retention
Best for:
Based on the data, Southern Connecticut State University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Connecticut State University
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Southern Connecticut State University.
Is Southern Connecticut State University hard to get into?
Southern Connecticut State University has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 91.5%.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern Connecticut State University?
Southern Connecticut State University has an acceptance rate of 91.5%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Southern Connecticut State University cost?
The average net price after aid at Southern Connecticut State University is $20,857 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southern Connecticut State University worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $55,043 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $20,857 per year. That's roughly 2.6x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Southern Connecticut State University known for?
Southern Connecticut State University is best known for its programs in Business Administration, Nursing, Psychology. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Southern Connecticut State University graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Southern Connecticut State University are $55,043, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Southern Connecticut State University accredited?
Yes. Southern Connecticut State University is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Southern Connecticut State University?
Southern Connecticut State University enrolls 6,295 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Southern Connecticut State University?
Southern Connecticut State University graduates 52% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Southern Connecticut State University a public or private college?
Southern Connecticut State University is a Public institution.
Where is Southern Connecticut State University located?
Southern Connecticut State University is located in New Haven, Connecticut.
What programs does Southern Connecticut State University offer?
Southern Connecticut State University offers 85 distinct programs. The most popular include Business Administration, Nursing, Psychology.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Southern Connecticut State University?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Southern Connecticut State University is 11:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Connecticut
Other colleges in Connecticut share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
