Kansas State University

In the 2027 US News Best Colleges rankings, Kansas State University placed 156th, continuing an upward climb from 170th in 2024. For 2025, the overall undergraduate acceptance rate reached 81.7%, indicating that admission is accessible to a broad spectrum of applicants. Despite this high acceptance rate, the university demonstrates a remarkably strong pull once admission letters arrive. Its yield rate reached 27.5% in 2025, meaning that more than a quarter of admitted applicants decided to enroll. This draw placed Kansas State higher than 93% of its peer group of public research universities with similar rankings. For prospective students and families, these trends indicate that securing an acceptance is very manageable, while the campus community benefits from an incoming cohort that actively chooses to attend.

Kansas State University adopts an admissions test policy that is optional, considered if submitted. For the 2025 application cycle, students leaned heavily toward the ACT, with 81% submitting ACT scores compared to a small share submitting the SAT. For 2025, the middle range of enrolled freshmen earned an ACT Composite score between 20 and 27. When evaluated against peers, the university's median SAT score of 1170 is higher than 31% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked public universities, demonstrating accessible admissions standards. High school performance remains central to the admissions decision. During the 2023–2024 cycle, the vast majority of admitted students held a high school GPA above a B average, with a substantial portion earning A-minus or better marks. Unofficial applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway show that admitted international students typically paired a strong secondary school GPA with mid-range standardized testing. Applicants can position themselves well by demonstrating steady classroom performance alongside scores that align with these historical middle ranges.

Kansas State University features a widely distributed academic landscape rather than one dominated by a handful of programs. In 2025, the top three undergraduate majors accounted for only 15.5% of all bachelor's degrees, demonstrating that undergraduate enrollment is not overly concentrated. The most popular bachelor's degree was Animal Sciences, General, followed by marketing and education. However, the university's highest-ranked academic programs are distinct from its highest-volume undergraduate degrees. In the 2026 US News graduate rankings, Kansas State earned national standing with Veterinary Medicine ranked 16th and Biological and Agricultural Engineering also ranked 16th. Career compensation data from 2023 show that specialized technical fields yield the strongest early financial returns. Graduates in Agricultural and Food Products Processing earned a median salary of $87,336 one year after graduation. For applicants, this means Kansas State provides balanced undergraduate options, while its premier research reputation and top earning trajectories are anchored in specialized agricultural and engineering sciences.

The student body at Kansas State University is predominantly domestic, with international representation concentrated heavily in advanced degree programs. In 2025, total enrollment reached 20,295 students across all academic levels. Undergraduates form the vast majority of the community, where White students represent the largest demographic group. Asian students comprise a small share of enrollment across all divisions, including 215 continuing undergraduates. International students also maintain a limited undergraduate presence, with only 37 international students enrolled in the freshman cohort. In contrast, the graduate school reflects significantly greater global representation, where international scholars accounted for 711 students. Female students represent a majority of both first-year undergraduates and graduate degree seekers. For prospective applicants, this composition creates a traditional midwestern campus environment, supported by a focused international presence within graduate study and research.

Undergraduate enrollment at Kansas State University is concentrated almost entirely in traditional college-age cohorts, while graduate study serves an older, more varied demographic. In 2025, students aged 18 to 19 made up 38.4% of undergraduates, and those aged 20 to 21 accounted for another 37.0%. Together, students aged 18 to 21 comprise the vast majority of the undergraduate population, pointing to a conventional campus life organized around traditional undergraduate schooling. By contrast, graduate enrollment reflects students entering directly after college as well as returning professionals. Students aged 22 to 24 and 25 to 29 each accounted for 26.6% of the 4,645 graduate students in 2025. For prospective students, this profile indicates that undergraduate activities revolve primarily around younger peers, whereas graduate degree programs bring together cohorts spanning multiple stages of early and mid-career experience.

International enrollment at Kansas State University has contracted over the past decade, creating a pronounced divide between degree levels. By 2025, the undergraduate international share fell to 1.7%, which is higher than 33% of peer schools in a comparison group of 30 similar public research universities. Graduate international enrollment experienced a more modest decline, reaching 15.3% in 2025. This uneven representation appears clearly in degree completions, where international students earned a small fraction of bachelor's degrees but 25.4% of doctorates. At the undergraduate level, international students make up only slight proportions of popular programs like Animal Sciences, General and Finance, General. In contrast, advanced degree programs show deeper international involvement, such as Business Administration and Management, General at the master's level and Agronomy and Crop Science at the doctoral level, where international students formed a majority of graduates. For applicants, this indicates an undergraduate environment that is overwhelmingly domestic, alongside graduate and research programs that maintain substantial international participation.

Families exploring regional educational opportunities in the Midwest will find several prominent public universities near Kansas State University. Located approximately 73 kilometers away, the University of Kansas holds a national university ranking of 148 in the 2027 US News rankings, serving as the state's other major flagship institution. To the east, the University of Missouri-Kansas City is situated about 108 kilometers away and ranked 250 among national universities. In south-central Kansas, Wichita State University sits roughly 109 kilometers from campus with a national ranking of 288. To the north across state lines, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is located about 113 kilometers away, ranking 169 among national universities. These neighboring institutions provide accessible public university alternatives within a reasonable driving distance of Manhattan, Kansas.

Campus safety at Kansas State University presents a consistent profile, with reported incidents consisting largely of substance policy enforcement. In 2025, the campus recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 7.4, maintaining a steady level across recent years. Total incident records from 2023 to 2025 show that administrative disciplinary actions represent the largest share of campus infractions. Across those years, the university registered 496 liquor law disciplinary referrals and 109 drug law disciplinary referrals, alongside alcohol and drug arrests. Interpersonal offenses were reported far less frequently during the same 2023 to 2025 timeframe, with statistics documenting 41 incidents of rape alongside a smaller number of stalking reports. Understanding these figures allows prospective students and families to evaluate the campus environment objectively, recognizing that alcohol violations form the dominant safety concern while violent crimes occur at considerably lower volumes.