Wichita State University

Wichita State University logo
#1129 / #329
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#407
Most Desirable School
Public university in Wichita, Kansas, U.S.

Wichita State University at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#329
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
94%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$9,948
Graduation rate
52%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
10,780

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

Wichita State University Featured Rankings

About Wichita State University

According to Wikipedia, Wichita State University is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in nine colleges. The university's graduate school offers more than 50 master's degrees in more than 100 areas and a specialist in education degree and 13 doctoral degrees. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

Wichita State University's Online Degrees

Graduate Certificate in Business Fundamentals
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Economic Development
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Public Finance
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Business Fundamentals - Advanced
  • Required Credits: 15
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management Decision Making
  • Required Credits: 15
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management Skills
  • Required Credits: 15
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Management
  • Required Credits: 21
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Human Resource Management
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Business Administration
Degree Concentrations
  • Marketing
  • Required Credits: 36
  • Format: Fully online
BAS in Workforce Leadership And Applied Learning
Degree Concentrations
  • Emergency And Public Service Leadership
  • Hospitality Management
  • Education And Innovation
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
BBA in Business Administration
  • Required Credits: 124
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
MBA in Business Administration
  • Required Credits: 36-51
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Human Resource Management (Bachelor'S To Master'S)
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Criminal Justice
  • Required Credits: 36
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Criminal Justice
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Homeland Security
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Superintendency/District Leadership
  • Required Credits: 21
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Learning And Instructional Design
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Special Education - High Incidence
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Special Education - Low Incidence
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Teaching- Early Childhood Unified Residency
  • Required Credits: 36
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Education- Early Childhood United/Elementary Education Apprentice
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Special Education - High Incidence Alternative Certification
  • Required Credits: 37-38
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in City And County Management
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in English Literature And Composition Pedagogy
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Undergraduate Certificate in Leadership
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Undergraduate Certificate in Tilford Diversity Studies
  • Required Credits: 18
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Arts Leadership And Management
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MPA in Public Administration
  • Required Credits: 39
  • Format: Fully online
AA in Arts
  • Required Credits: 65
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in General Studies
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
Undergraduate Certificate in Aging Studies
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Undergraduate Certificate in Health Science
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Undergraduate Certificate in Public Health Science
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Aging Studies
  • Required Credits: 15
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Health Administration
  • Required Credits: 15
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Public Health
  • Required Credits: 15
  • Format: Fully online
DNP in Nursing- Individual/Family Focus
  • Required Credits: 29
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Aging Studies
Degree Concentrations
  • Administration
  • Public Health
  • Social Science
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Nursing Education
  • Required Credits: 37
  • Format: Fully online
MHA in Health Administration
  • Required Credits: 42
  • Format: Fully online
BSN in Nursing
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Aging Studies
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Aging Studies Bs To Ms
  • Format: Fully online
BS/MHA in Health Administration (Bachelor'S To Master'S)
  • Format: Fully online
BSDH in Dental Hygiene
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 12-15 months
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Mentoring And Coaching
  • Required Credits: 12
  • Format: Fully online
BSET in Engineering Technology Management
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Field Major
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online

Wichita State University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
8,63794%69%52%107221

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Wichita State University Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$9,948
Average Net Price by Family Income (2021–22)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$7,530
30K - 48K$6,774
48K - 75K$9,000
75K - 110K$12,533
110K+$17,409

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Wichita State University Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Wichita State University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $56,003 a year, and 91% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Wichita State University's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
19,28314,5064,777

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Wichita State University?

Wichita State University is located at 1845 N. Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260-0124.

How Safe is Wichita State University?

Relative to its enrollment, Wichita State University has a violent crime rate of 0.05% and a property crime rate of 0.08%. Wichita has a violent crime rate of 1.24% and a property crime rate of 5.28%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Wichita State University Known For?

Wichita State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Wichita State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Wichita State University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Criminal Justice
#237
World Rank
#242
Historical Rank
#146
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #146 in the U.S. and #237 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
History
#621
World Rank
#637
Historical Rank
#219
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #219 in the U.S. and #621 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Engineering
#1224
World Rank
#1254
Historical Rank
#221
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #221 in the U.S. and #1224 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Physics
#1067
World Rank
#1046
Historical Rank
#243
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #243 in the U.S. and #1067 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Education
#1011
World Rank
#1014
Historical Rank
#245
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #245 in the U.S. and #1011 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Mathematics
#1034
World Rank
#1075
Historical Rank
#254
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #254 in the U.S. and #1034 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Earth Sciences
#1096
World Rank
#1114
Historical Rank
#257
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #257 in the U.S. and #1096 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Business
#869
World Rank
#870
Historical Rank
#262
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #262 in the U.S. and #869 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Literature
#872
World Rank
#864
Historical Rank
#292
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #292 in the U.S. and #872 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Political Science
#1246
World Rank
#1264
Historical Rank
#316
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #316 in the U.S. and #1246 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Anthropology
#981
World Rank
#1000
Historical Rank
#323
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #323 in the U.S. and #981 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Chemistry
#1735
World Rank
#1759
Historical Rank
#334
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #334 in the U.S. and #1735 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Communications
#1345
World Rank
#1373
Historical Rank
#366
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #366 in the U.S. and #1345 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Psychology
#1142
World Rank
#1157
Historical Rank
#446
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #446 in the U.S. and #1142 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Medical
#1681
World Rank
#1662
Historical Rank
#453
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #453 in the U.S. and #1681 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Philosophy
#1683
World Rank
#1708
Historical Rank
#501
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #501 in the U.S. and #1683 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Economics
#3127
World Rank
#3137
Historical Rank
#524
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #524 in the U.S. and #3127 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Biology
#2255
World Rank
#2268
Historical Rank
#525
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #525 in the U.S. and #2255 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Computer Science
#2430
World Rank
#2436
Historical Rank
#526
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #526 in the U.S. and #2430 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Religious Studies
#3051
World Rank
#3067
Historical Rank
#675
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #675 in the U.S. and #3051 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Sociology
#2358
World Rank
#2366
Historical Rank
#694
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #694 in the U.S. and #2358 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Social Work
#1750
World Rank
#1751
Historical Rank
#713
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #713 in the U.S. and #1750 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Nursing
#2903
World Rank
#2904
Historical Rank
#1144
USA Rank

Wichita State University ranks #1144 in the U.S. and #2903 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees

Who Are Wichita State University's Most Influential Alumni?

Wichita State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, History, and Literature. Here are some of Wichita State University's most famous alumni:

Michael McClure
Michael McClure
An American writer.
Dale Allison
An American historian of Early Christianity and Christian theologian.
Harold G. White
Harold G. White
A NASA engineer and physicist.
Manly Wade Wellman
Manly Wade Wellman
An American writer .
Bruce Conner
An American artist .
Lincoln LaPaz
An American astronomer.
M. Lee Pelton
M. Lee Pelton
A PresIdent of Emerson College.
Ken Orr
An American software engineer.
Joe Carter
Joe Carter
An American baseball player.
Mona Nemer
Mona Nemer
A Lebanese-Canadian scientist.
Ruth A. David
Ruth A. David
An American engineer.
Wolt Fabrycky
An American engineer.