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University or college · Public

Wayne State College

Wayne, NE840 online only

Wayne State College is a public college in Wayne, NE, with about 3,967 students on campus.

Visit www.wsc.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
3,967
plus 840 studying only online
Admission rate
Open
open enrollment
Net price a year
$15,360
lower than at 71% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
52%
lower than at 56% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$47,075
higher than at 66% of U.S. colleges
In brief

What to know about Wayne State College

A graduation gap for lower-income students

39% of students with Pell grants finish, against 52% overall, a gap of 14 points. 26% of undergraduates get Pell grants. Outcomes ↓

Students are a big part of Wayne

31% of Wayne’s 6,338 residents are enrolled in college. Median rent runs 26% below the state. Living in Wayne ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
52%
within 6 years · Pell students 39%
Come back for year two
72%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$47,075
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$19,000
about $201 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

5.9%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$201 a month against about $3,405 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

69%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 86% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$43k
Middle income$30–75k
$48k
Higher incomeover $75k
$50k
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Wayne State College?

Open

anyone with a high school diploma can enroll

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Wayne State College is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $22,565 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees (in state) $8,216Room & board $10,142Books & supplies $1,536Other costs $2,671

After grants, the average family on aid pays $15,360.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$13,851

About $55,404 over 4 years · 39% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Education 24%Business 20%Public safety 9%Engineering tech 9%Computer science 6%Biology 6%Everything else 27%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Business Administration, Management and Operations155 graduates a year · typical debt $16,861
$57k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods84 graduates a year · typical debt $19,731
$43k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections77 graduates a year · typical debt $22,205
$55k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas63 graduates a year · typical debt $23,896
$49k4 yrs out
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians43 graduates a year · typical debt $20,845
$68k4 yrs out
Biology, General39 graduates a year · typical debt $19,000
$59k4 yrs out
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology31 graduates a year · typical debt $20,396
$41k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness29 graduates a year · typical debt $24,500
$48k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

3,010 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 76%Hispanic 10%Black 3%Asian 1%Two or more 3%International 6%

Women and men

Women 57%Men 43%
19 : 1
students per teacher
26%
get Pell grants (lower income)
32%
take federal loans
7%
undergrads 25 or older
7%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Wayne

31% of Wayne’s 6,338 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Wayne pages.

Wayne →
WayneWayne, NE
$792/momedian rent · 26% below the state$242Ktypical home valueA−Safety Grade11° / 85°January low / July high · 32" of snowB+Health GradeAll colleges in and near WayneCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Wayne State College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Northeast Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Norfolk
23.7 mi4,336 students
Little Priest Tribal CollegeCommunity college · Public · Winnebago Township
28 mi201 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.