Worcester State University is a public university in Worcester, Massachusetts, within Worcester County, in that city's metropolitan area. It is a four-year institution, awards bachelor's degrees, and also reports offering graduate programs. It is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution—of the 3,012 universities in this federal directory, only 138 have any of those three designations. That does not say which community it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask that directly, using the names of today's cultural centers and student organizations.
The Carnegie Classification, based on data from 2019-20, describes it as a medium-sized, primarily residential institution—between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students were then living in institution-owned housing—and as a master's-level institution, not a research doctorate institution. It also appears among institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying somewhere else, ask in writing which courses will count. That "many transfer students" label does not say how many credits each student brings in.
A Medium-Sized Community, Mostly from Within the State
In fall 2023, Worcester State had 5,611 enrolled students: 4,734 undergraduates and 877 graduate students. It is neither a small institution nor an enormous one. Among the 519 selective-admission, four-year public institutions in this census, its size falls right in the middle.
Within that undergraduate population, 18 out of every 100 students identified as Hispanic or Latino, a figure that places it above the midpoint of its peers but outside the highest quarter. They are not the majority, but neither are they unusual. There are more women than men—60 out of every 100—and adults ages 25 through 64 are a minority, at 11 out of every 100. And there is one figure worth emphasizing if your family lives outside Massachusetts: Out of every 100 entering students, 92 reported a permanent address in the same state when applying. In practice, this is a predominantly local institution.
With so many part-time students in the mix—IPEDS calculates a full-time equivalent of 4,334 students among the 5,611 enrolled—the enrollment number does not tell you how many people are in a classroom at the same time. Ask when courses in your child's intended major are offered before assuming a convenient schedule.
How the Academic Year Is Organized and Which Credits It Recognizes
The year at Worcester State is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university accepts credit from AP exams, but did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience, and it does report accepting credit for military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit, both within and outside a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is the uncomfortable truth that almost no one asks about soon enough: Saying that they accept AP does not mean they award credit for every exam or score. We do not know what scores they require or whether those credits count toward your child's specific major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not include those savings in your budget until you have it in hand.
As for academic offerings, Worcester State awarded 924 bachelor's degrees in the most recently reported year, distributed across 19 families of fields of study. The family with the most degrees was health professions, with 21 out of every 100—no other family exceeded it, but it does not dominate the total either. The offerings are broad and relatively balanced, rather than concentrated in one area. Nineteen families with rows in the report do not mean nineteen exact majors: Each family groups multiple programs. Verify the specific program that interests your child.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 15 to 1, a middle-of-the-range figure among its peers, neither one of the lowest nor one of the highest. This number does not tell you the actual size of a first-year class; it describes only an institution-wide ratio.
It is worth knowing that the university reports structured academic pathways: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken entirely in the evening or on weekends, developmental education for credit and not for credit, and routes to teacher certification, including state approval of the initial certification program.
Admissions: Getting In Is Likely, but There Are Requirements to Meet
Worcester State does not have open admissions. There are elements it reviews before saying yes: the high school record, grade-point average, college-preparatory course plan, and—when applicable—an English-proficiency exam. The essay, letters of recommendation, and work experience are not required, but they are considered if you submit them. If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English exam applies and what would qualify for an exemption. It is one of those things families discover late, when there is no longer time to resolve it.
And here is the number that will probably change how you see this institution: In the 2023 cycle, out of every 100 people who applied, 90 received an offer of admission. Compared with the 519 selective-admission, four-year public institutions in this census, it is on the high side: Seven out of ten accepted an equal or smaller percentage of their applicants. In practice, this is one of the institutions that does admit applicants.
But the likelihood of getting in does not make what follows easy. That 90% applies to the entire institution and a single cycle. It does not say how much it will cost, how many students finish, or whether your child's specific major has an additional screening process of its own. Those three questions must be asked separately.
One figure surprises many families: Out of every 100 admitted applicants, only 21 actually enrolled in the fall. The other 79 had a place here and did not take it. Do not read that as a stain—the federal record does not say why each person chose what they chose. What matters is this: What other people decided does not tell you what the university will offer you. Wait for your own letter with the actual net price before deciding whether this institution stays on your list.
Regarding standardized tests: The SAT and ACT are optional. Only 9 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores, and among them, the middle half scored between 505 and 635 in reading and writing and between 503 and 645 in mathematics. Those numbers describe students who were already admitted, not a minimum or a guarantee for anyone else.
And regarding transfers: Of the bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 27 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without completing here. That is a large share, and the report does not say why. Keep this in mind when you compare graduation rates later: A student who transfers and finishes somewhere else does not count as a Worcester State graduate, even if that student did well.
The Sticker Price: Two Numbers, Not One
For the 2023-24 year, the reported cost of attendance for a first-time, full-time student living on campus was $27,545 at the in-state rate and $33,625 at the out-of-state rate. It is not a bill; it is the budget the institution uses to calculate aid.
Broken down: $11,286 in tuition and fees at the in-state rate ($17,366 for out-of-state students), $12,999 for on-campus housing and food, and $1,368 for books and supplies. The rest consists of estimated personal expenses.
Compared with 483 institutions of the same type in this census, this total cost at the in-state rate falls below the group's midpoint. The first thing you should do, before comparing anything, is confirm directly with the university which rate would apply to your child: The gap between resident and nonresident rates here is real and substantial.
The Net Price: What Is Actually Paid by Family Income
At Worcester State University, among 122 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $9,035. Among 95 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $12,665; among 184 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $19,939. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (122 students) and the highest-income band (184 students) is $10,904. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $14,307.
The advertised price is not the same as the price paid. Here, for students with low income, the average net price was $9,035 in academic year 2022-23.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask for it before applying.
Aid, Grants, and Loans: The Mix That Makes Payment Possible
Aid that does not have to be repaid—grants and scholarships—reached 63 out of every 100 degree-seeking students. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with its peers, it falls in the quarter where grants and scholarships reach fewer students; among those who did receive them, the year's average was $6,593.
The federal Pell Grant, reserved for families with low incomes, reached 32 out of every 100. That is less than half the share receiving aid overall, which indicates that much of the support comes from other sources—state, institutional, or another kind of federal aid—that this figure cannot attribute to a single program. When your letter arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many letters mix them in a single column, and that is where families become confused.
Regarding loans: 48 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the 2022-23 school year. That is a high proportion compared with its peers—on the side where more students borrow. Those who borrowed took out an average of $5,816 that year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years, the total would be around $23,264, not counting interest and excluding Parent PLUS loans or other types of debt. That calculation should be made before the first signature, not at the end. And this percentage describes other families, not yours: The amount your child would need to borrow comes from your child's own letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the institution or committing to it.
The institution also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan as an additional mechanism for managing the cost.
Campus Life, Course Modality, and Available Support
Worcester State has its own housing, with a reported capacity for 1,584 students on or off campus, and meal plans whose number of meals per week varies according to the selected plan. No student is universally required to live there, but that does not say whether a particular program requires it. Request the year's rate, the deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or you will be placed on a waiting list, all in writing.
The institution indicated ROTC opportunities in all three branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force—which is uncommon: Only 135 of the 3,012 universities in this directory indicate all three. But that designation does not prove that the program is offered on this specific campus or provide information about capacity or scholarships. Ask about each branch separately before building a plan around this.
It competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track. The affiliation belongs to the institution, not your child: Write directly to the coach of the sport that interests your child and ask about a roster spot, division, and athletic scholarship, in writing.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although in practice it is a minority mode: Only 5 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their courses at a distance; the other 95 took at least one course in person. The library operates with paid staff, annual spending above the federal threshold of $100,000, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. The institution also reports support such as combined academic and career counseling, employment services, placement services for graduates, a point of contact for veterans and members of the military, and a webpage dedicated to services for people with disabilities.
Persistence and Graduation: The Numbers That Truly Matter Over the Long Term
Of the first-time, full-time cohort that entered in fall 2022, 77 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion: They were still enrolled here or had already graduated one year later. That is slightly above the midpoint of its peers. The report does not separate how many of those 77 were still studying from how many had already graduated, and remember something important: In this figure, someone who transferred and continued studying elsewhere counts the same as someone who left school altogether.
Now the figure that probably matters most to you as a family planning a budget: Of the bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, after six years, 56 out of every 100 had graduated from Worcester State. At four years, the figure drops to 40 out of every 100—16 points lower. And four years is exactly the time frame most families include in their budgets.
It is worth looking at the complete breakdown of that cohort of 899 students: 499 graduated here within the time frame; 241 transferred without completing at Worcester State; 19 remained enrolled without having finished; and 140 fell into the "no longer enrolled" category, which does not indicate the reason. Compared with its peers, this graduation rate is above the group's median.
The gap of 16 points between four and six years is not a minor detail. Before signing anything, ask in writing how long your child's intended program actually tends to take, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if the path takes an additional year or two. A fifth year does not cost nothing.
There is a third view, at eight years, of a different and broader cohort—1,646 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, including full-time and part-time students: 64 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this institution by the August 2023 reporting date. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 66 out of every 100, three points above the group without Pell Grants. Compared with its peers, it is also above the median. But take note: These figures do not add up neatly to one hundred. Another 14 out of every 100 had an "unknown" enrollment status as of the reporting date—this does not mean they dropped out, only that the report was unable to track them.
What Depends on the University, Your Child, and You
It is also an institution where most admitted applicants choose not to enroll, where a considerable share transfers before finishing, and where the jump from the four-year to the six-year graduation rate is real and must be included in your budget from the beginning.
None of this tells you whether Worcester State is the right institution for your child. That depends on what your child wants to study and has already built, and on what your family can and is willing to pay. What you can do now is take these exact questions into your conversation with the university: Which rate applies to you based on residency, which AP credits actually count toward your child's intended major, how long that specific program takes on average, and what net price applies to your own family based on its income.
You now know one part of this map in detail. Combine it with what your child wants, what your child has built, and what your family can pay. A plan emerges from that combination.
Source note: The information in this article comes from official data reported by Worcester State University to the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Worcester State University or any agency of the United States government.