Fort Hays State University

Public · Moderately Selective · KS

Photo: FUBAR007 (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationKS · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads9,733

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate29.9%

6-yr grad rate47.7%

Drop-out rate23.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$6k

Out-of-state tuition$18k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity50.4%

Gender diversity62%

International0.1%

Identity—

Overview

Fort Hays State University sits in Hays, Kansas, on the western Kansas plains, and serves as the cultural and educational hub for a wide, sparsely populated rural region far from the state's larger population centers in Wichita and Kansas City.

Academics

Education, business, and health professions are the practical, career-oriented core of the university's offerings, and Fort Hays has built an unusually large online presence — the Virtual College — that serves distance students across Kansas and beyond well past its physical campus footprint.

Campus & student life

Hays is a small western Kansas town, and campus life reflects that scale — modest in size but central to the community, with the university serving as a cultural anchor, including hosting regional arts and cultural events, for the wider region.

Getting in

Admission is accessible and low-cost by design, making the university a practical option for regional and distance students rather than a highly selective destination, with a straightforward, grades-based review.

fhsu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate90.3%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 970–1140 · ACT 18–24

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying