Central State University
Wilberforce, OH · Public · Rural (fringe) · CSU
Public institution in Wilberforce, OH · 3,412 undergraduates · 46% acceptance rate · $33,267 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 13%Out-of-state tuition & fees
- Top 14%Acceptance rate
- Top 17%In-state tuition & fees
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $16,544795th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $7,824345th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $9,824253rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $22,435527th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $30,7391,817th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $33,2671,818th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $27,1731,809th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 25.6%1,849th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 51.2%1,717th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 46.0%226th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- 16944th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 3,412640th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,581st smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 42.2%615th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 175 mi (DTW)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 32 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social WorkPublic Administration | bachelors | $33,281 | — |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $31,314 | $30,409 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBusiness | bachelors | $27,048 | $28,133 |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $24,615 | $27,476 |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $23,134 | $25,194 |
| JournalismCommunications | bachelors | $22,192 | $21,508 |
| Parks, Recreation and Leisure StudiesParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $13,702 | $25,967 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| Agricultural Production OperationsAgriculture | bachelors | — | — |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | — | — |
| Computer Science | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- A Historically Black College or University (HBCU)source
- Founded in 1887source
- Athletic nickname: "Lady Marauders"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: #A40046 and #FFD700source
- Mascot: Marauder Mansource
- Formerly known as "Wilberforce State College" (1887–1951)source
- Formerly known as "Central State College" (1951–1965)source
- Athletic conference: SIACsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
- Fight song: ""Fighting Eagles""source
- Notable alum: Hastings Bandasource
- Notable alum: Leontyne Pricesource
- Notable alum: Omarosa Manigault Newmansource
Athletics — 5 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $1,325,889 (M $964,534 · W $361,355)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Central State University’s 3,412 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In OH
- Clark State CollegeSpringfield, OH · 3,134 undergrads
- Cedarville UniversityCedarville, OH · 3,815 undergrads
- Oberlin CollegeOberlin, OH · 2,950 undergrads
- Baldwin Wallace UniversityBerea, OH · 2,775 undergrads
- Franciscan University of SteubenvilleSteubenville, OH · 2,775 undergrads
- University of Northwestern OhioLima, OH · 2,572 undergrads
Elsewhere
- CUNY Medgar Evers CollegeBrooklyn, NY · 3,404 undergrads
- Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, OK · 3,424 undergrads
- Winthrop UniversityRock Hill, SC · 3,424 undergrads
- School of Visual ArtsNew York, NY · 3,432 undergrads
- Biola UniversityLa Mirada, CA · 3,390 undergrads
- Western Connecticut State UniversityDanbury, CT · 3,434 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitecentralstate.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 201690)
- Compare colleges in OHRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in OhioEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Clark State CollegeSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Central State University vs Clark State CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 5 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.