Wichita State University

Public · Moderately Selective · KS

Photo: Kazenogakusei (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationKS · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads10,780

Student:faculty19:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate33.2%

6-yr grad rate51%

Drop-out rate30.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$10k

Out-of-state tuition$20k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity45.7%

Gender diversity56.2%

International4.7%

Identity—

Overview

Wichita State University is Kansas's urban public research university, shaped heavily by its location in a city built around aircraft manufacturing. That industrial identity runs directly into the university's academic strengths rather than sitting alongside them as a coincidence, and the campus's applied, practice-oriented character extends beyond engineering into business and the arts as well. Wichita State also holds a distinct place in Kansas higher education as the state's primary urban research university, positioned differently from the more traditional flagship identity of the University of Kansas or the land-grant mission of Kansas State.

Academics

Aerospace engineering is the clear signature program, supported by close ties to Wichita's aircraft manufacturers — Textron, Spirit AeroSystems, and others — that fund applied research and offer students paid co-op positions integrated into the degree, often through the university's National Institute for Aviation Research, one of the largest university-based aviation research programs in the country. Entrepreneurship is another notable strength, reflecting a broader emphasis on applied, industry-connected learning over purely theoretical coursework, and the university's business school has built a genuine regional reputation in that specific niche.

Campus & student life

As an urban campus embedded in a working industrial city, Wichita State draws a mix of traditional and older, career-focused students, with Shocker basketball serving as a unifying campus tradition and a rare point of shared campus-wide spirit — the program's Final Four run in the early 2010s remains a touchstone campus memory. WuShock, the wheat-shock mascot, reflects the region's agricultural heritage as directly as the aerospace programs reflect its industrial one.

Getting in

Admission is generally accessible rather than highly selective, with academic preparation mattering more than a competitive essay process for most programs. Engineering applicants, particularly in aerospace, benefit from being upfront about interest in the co-op pipeline, since positioning within that track often starts as early as the application stage.

After graduation

The aerospace co-op pipeline is a genuine differentiator — students frequently graduate with substantial paid industry experience already on their resumes, feeding directly into Wichita's aviation and manufacturing employers such as Textron Aviation and Spirit AeroSystems. Business and entrepreneurship graduates likewise tend to stay regional, and the university's applied research ties give even non-engineering students exposure to industry-connected project work.

Worth knowing

Students interested in aerospace or manufacturing engineering should weigh Wichita State's co-op structure heavily, since it offers a level of embedded industry experience that is unusual even among strong engineering programs. The National Institute for Aviation Research is a genuine research asset, not just a marketing name, and undergraduates can find real ways to get involved with it.

wichita.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate94%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 905–1240 · ACT 17–25

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying