University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Lincoln, Nebraska. It enrolls 19,178 students (a very 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.
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.
Strong
72/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes74
Value66
Affordability43
Selectivity43
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 87.5%, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
87.5%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1098 – 1330
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
22 – 28
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of Nebraska-Lincoln is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Stable ↓
1.2 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending University of Nebraska-Lincoln 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 $17,747 per year. That's below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$17,747
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
23%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
33%
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)
$10,434
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$28,584
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,120
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,120
Books & Supplies
$1,100
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,000
Total Cost of Attendance
$26,697
Application fee: $45 (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
$12,751
$30,001 – $48,000
$13,054
$48,001 – $75,000
$14,699
$75,001 – $110,000
$18,975
Over $110,000
$22,346
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.
$3,50010%percentile
$5,50025%percentile
$21,000Medianpercentile
$25,39275%percentile
$31,00090%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 $15,250
↓ $5,750
No Pell $14,193
↓ $6,807
Dependent students $14,500
↓ $6,500
Independent students $17,607
↓ $3,393
Female students $14,385
↓ $6,615
Male students $15,000
↓ $6,000
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,750, less than completers ($21,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
60% of full-time students who enrolled at University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate within six years, and 85% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
60%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
85%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered University of Nebraska-Lincoln earn a median of $56,887 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$56,887
Earning > $25K
85%
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
$46,100
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$59,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$49,400
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$50,300
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$55,600
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $12,900, about 22% 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 ↑
11.7 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 90% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
University of Nebraska-Lincoln is home to 19,178 students, a sprawling student community.
Total Enrolled
19,178
Part-Time
4%
First-Generation
22%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 75.5%14,485
Hispanic 9.6%1,837
Other 4.2%796
Asian 4.1%788
Black 2.9%552
International 2.8%545
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Large CityLincoln, Nebraska
Housing
Partly residential5,814 beds available
Adult Learners
3%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
214 distinct programs across
27 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 University of Nebraska-Lincoln is 16:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$14,314
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$1.3B
Strong financial cushion supports aid and stability
Avg Faculty Salary
$111,460
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
1,296 instructional faculty across 5 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
449
35%
$143,087
Associate Professors
397
31%
$107,468
Assistant Professors
333
26%
$94,962
Lecturers
110
8%
$48,073
No Rank
7
1%
$50,344
Pros & Cons of University of Nebraska-Lincoln
A quick at-a-glance summary of how University of Nebraska-Lincoln tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Reasonable class sizes
Strong first-year retention
Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for:
Based on the data, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Is University of Nebraska-Lincoln hard to get into?
University of Nebraska-Lincoln has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 87.5%.
What is the acceptance rate at University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
University of Nebraska-Lincoln has an acceptance rate of 87.5%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
What SAT score do you need for University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
The middle 50% of admitted students at University of Nebraska-Lincoln scored between 1098 and 1330 on the SAT (Reading + Math combined). Scores at the higher end of that range improve admissions odds materially. Per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
What ACT score do you need for University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
The middle 50% of admitted students at University of Nebraska-Lincoln scored between 22 and 28 on the ACT composite. Scores in the upper half of that range strengthen an application. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does University of Nebraska-Lincoln cost?
The average net price after aid at University of Nebraska-Lincoln is $17,747 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is University of Nebraska-Lincoln worth it?
Solid return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $56,887 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $17,747 per year. That's roughly 3.2x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is University of Nebraska-Lincoln known for?
University of Nebraska-Lincoln is best known for its programs in Business Administration, Psychology, Finance. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering University of Nebraska-Lincoln are $56,887, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is University of Nebraska-Lincoln accredited?
Yes. University of Nebraska-Lincoln is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
University of Nebraska-Lincoln enrolls 19,178 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates 60% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is University of Nebraska-Lincoln a public or private college?
University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a Public institution.
Where is University of Nebraska-Lincoln located?
University of Nebraska-Lincoln is located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
What programs does University of Nebraska-Lincoln offer?
University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers 214 distinct programs. The most popular include Business Administration, Psychology, Finance.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
The student-to-faculty ratio at University of Nebraska-Lincoln is 16:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Nebraska
Other colleges in Nebraska 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.
