Active Report Report ID: EDU-100812-2026

Athens State University

Athens, AL 35611

Median salary$50,27310yr post-entry
Enrollment2,446Total students

About Athens State University

Athens State University is a public research university in Athens, Alabama, enrolling about 2,446 students. Athens State University awards degrees and certificates tracked in federal College Scorecard and IPEDS reporting. Median earnings about ten years after entry reach about $50,273 among students who received federal aid.

School guide

Athens State University: research record

Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Athens State University—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.

Research findings

Interpretation

Median earnings should be read with net price, debt, and completion—not as a standalone quality score.

Student outcomes

$46,266Median earnings (6 years after entry)

Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.

Is Athens State University a good school?

Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.

Athens State University is a good school for those looking for strong graduate earnings outcomes in College Scorecard data.

EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.

Earnings outcomes
Campus snapshot

More from the data

Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Athens State University.

Campus

Location

Athens, AL

City / state

ZIP
35611
NCES locale
Town fringe

See Town college profile for median costs and outcomes at similar campuses.

Control

Institution type

Public

Control

Region
Southeast
Carnegie
Special Focus Four-Year: Faith-Related Institutions

Size

Enrollment

2,446

Total enrollment

Undergraduate
3,301
Graduate
451
Full-time share
46%

Student aid

Debt & aid

$18,051

Median federal loan debt

Pell grant share
42.51%
Cost detail

Total Cost, Aid & Default

Total Cost of Attendance

Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.

Tuition vs average net price after aid for Athens State University.

Financial Aid by Income Level

42.51% Undergraduates receiving aid through grants
40.85% Undergraduates receiving aid through loans

Financial aid distribution by income level.

Student Loan Default Rate

0.00% 3-year cohort default rate (College Scorecard)

The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Athens State University was 0.00%.

Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.

Multi-year tracker

Tuition tracker

Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Athens State University in that year.

Multi-year history is not in this profile yet. It is added when the institution cost history CSV has been collected and merged into school JSON.

Sticker tuition and net price over time

Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.

College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).

Net price by family income

Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).

Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.

Access

How difficult is it to get in?

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance rate data is not available for this institution.

Admissions funnel data is not available for this institution.

Test Scores

Test score data is not available for this institution.

Score distribution is not available for this institution.

Academic Requirements

GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.

Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.

Student body

Enrollment & Student Demographics

Athens State University reported total enrollment of about 2,446 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 27% male and 73% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes White (73.7%), Black or African American (13.7%), and Hispanic or Latino (5.8%). About 42.51% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 47.7% of students are first-generation college students.

Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment

45.5% Full-Time Enrollment

The total enrollment at Athens State University in 2024 is 2,446 students.

Undergraduate enrollment is about 3,301 students. Graduate enrollment is about 451 students.

Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.

Retention Rate over Time

N/A%
2024 Retention Rate

Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.

Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.

Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

73.7%White or Caucasian
9Reported race/ethnicity groups

Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.

  • White or Caucasian73.7%
  • Black or African American13.7%
  • Hispanic or Latino5.8%
  • Two or More Races3.6%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native1.2%
  • Race/ethnicity unknown0.9%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Non-Resident Alien0.2%
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0.1%

College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).

Outcomes

Do students complete their programs?

Time to Complete

0.00% 100% Completion Time

0.00% 150% Completion Time

In 2024, 0.00% of students graduating from Athens State University completed their program within 100% "normal time".

Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.

Completions by Sex (Top Programs)

  • Elementary Education and Teaching: 6% male / 94% female
  • Business Administration and Management, General: 29% male / 71% female
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies: 45% male / 55% female

IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).

Completions by Race & Ethnicity

668White or Caucasian
7Reported groups

Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.

  • White or Caucasian668
  • Black or African American116
  • Hispanic or Latino46
  • Two or More Races27
  • American Indian or Alaska Native20
  • Asian8
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander1

Summed across program completion records in our extract.

Outcomes & academic profile

Athens State University graduates earn a median of $50,273 ten years after entry

Source College ScorecardMethod Earnings + debt + net price modelsUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Institution-wideConfidence Federal extract

Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Athens State University.

Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $50,273. Median federal loan debt: $18,051.

Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.

Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.

Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.

Key takeaway Athens State University graduates report median earnings of $50,273 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.

Return on Investment

$50,273Median annual earnings (10 years)
$18,051Median student debt
35.91%Debt-to-earnings ratio
3.6 yearsEstimated payback period

Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Athens State University.

Top Programs by Completions

Largest 10 programs by IPEDS completions (45 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).

  1. Accounting 71
  2. Technical Teacher Education 59
  3. Education, Other 29

IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Athens State University.

Employment Outcomes

$50,273Median earnings (10 years after entry)
$46,266Median earnings (6 years after entry)
$48,014Median earnings (8 years after entry)
87.25%Working & not enrolled (8-year cohort share)

Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Athens State University graduates.

How financially powerful is this institution?

Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Athens State University—endowment assets (fiscal year 2023), instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.

Institutional endowment

$6.1M

End-of-year assets · Fiscal year 2023

Start of year: $5M

Year change: $1.1M

  • Alabama median 0.42× the median ($14.3M)
  • Southeast median 0.31× the median ($19.4M)
  • U.S. median 0.23× the median ($26.4M)

Per FTE: $2,713

  • Alabama median 0.32× the median ($8,561)
  • Southeast median 0.29× the median ($9,308)
  • U.S. median 0.22× the median ($12,100)

Instructional Resources

  • Full-time faculty share: 50.7%
    • Alabama median 1.5 pp above median (49.2%)
    • Southeast median 8.7 pp below median (59.4%)
    • U.S. median 7.2 pp below median (58.0%)
  • Average faculty salary (monthly): $9,666
    • Alabama median 1.3× the median ($7,502)
    • Southeast median 1.4× the median ($6,825)
    • U.S. median 1.3× the median ($7,615)
  • Instructional expenditure per FTE: $9,527
    • Alabama median 1.3× the median ($7,192)
    • Southeast median 1.4× the median ($6,602)
    • U.S. median 1.3× the median ($7,288)

Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.

Athens State University at a glance

Institution snapshot

Athens State University

Athens, AL 35611 · Public · Southeast

Athens State University is a public institution in Athens, AL, classified as Special Focus Four-Year: Faith-Related Institutions.

Enrollment2,446
Pell Grant share42.51%
First-generation47.7%
Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
Elementary Education and TeachingBusiness Administration and Management, GeneralLiberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Largest enrollment groups
White or Caucasian73.7%
Black or African American13.7%
Hispanic or Latino5.8%
Nearby

Schools near Athens State University

Other campuses in Athens, AL when available, plus nearby institutions in Alabama.

Peers

Similar schools

Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade C) within Alabama, then by similar ownership and admissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Athens State University located?

Athens State University is located in Athens, AL.

How much does Athens State University cost?

Reported tuition is N/A and average net price is N/A in the latest College Scorecard data.

What is the student body demographics at Athens State University?

Athens State University reports undergraduate enrollment of about 3,301 students, White (73.7%), Black or African American (13.7%) in federal College Scorecard data.

How many first-generation students attend Athens State University?

About 47.7% of students at Athens State University are first-generation college students.

What do graduates of Athens State University earn?

Median earnings are $46,266 six years after entry and $50,273 ten years after entry.

How much debt do Athens State University students have?

Median federal loan debt among completers is $18,051.

Is Athens State University public or private?

Athens State University is a public institution located in Athens, AL.

Is Athens State University an HBCU?

No. Athens State University is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.

Is Athens State University a tribal college?

No. Athens State University is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.

Is Athens State University a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?

Using a 25% Hispanic enrollment threshold on College Scorecard demographics, Athens State University does not meet that proxy (reported share 5.8%).

Is Athens State University religiously affiliated?

No religious affiliation is reported for Athens State University in IPEDS institutional characteristics.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology & Data Scope

This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.

Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.