Valdosta State University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Pensacola, Georgia · Public · Moderately selective · CDS 2024-2025
Valdosta State University is a public university in Pensacola, Georgia that admits about 57% of applicants, making it a moderately selective school. The average family pays about $8,155 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Psychology, General and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 59% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 0.4 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Valdosta State University is a public institution located in Pensacola, Georgia with a moderately selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Valdosta State University admits about half to three-quarters of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 57%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1137 and an ACT composite around 24. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $8,155 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Valdosta State University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Valdosta State University?
Valdosta State University admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Valdosta State University weight in admissions?
Valdosta State University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • State residency
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Class rank
- • Interview
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Valdosta State University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 500–600, with an EBRW midpoint near 580. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 20–27. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 990 |
| 50th percentile | 1080 |
| 75th percentile | 1190 |
| % submitting SAT | 48% |
| 25th percentile | 19 |
| 50th percentile | 22 |
| 75th percentile | 26 |
| % submitting ACT | 67% |
- • Tests required: Standardized test scores are part of the standard application package.
- • Policy detail: Required
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 14.4% |
| Top 25% of class | 38.85% |
| Top 50% of class | 73% |
| % submitting class rank | 69.3% |
How much does Valdosta State University actually cost?
Published tuition is $6,360 for in-state students and $19,241 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,432 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $8,155 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 33% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $4,319 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $16,587 |
| Room and board | $12,432 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $8,155 |
| Application fee | — |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Valdosta State University
Will my child graduate from Valdosta State University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Valdosta State University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Valdosta State University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Psychology, General and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. Across all programs, Valdosta State University confers roughly 1,143 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing program report a median income of about $79,429 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 384 | $79,429 |
| Psychology, General | 132 | $40,013 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 122 | $51,114 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 119 | $43,987 |
| Biology, General | 116 | $48,440 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 108 | $41,017 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 83 | $48,441 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 79 | $76,961 |
Is Valdosta State University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Valdosta State University disclosed 4 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 0.4 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 3 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Valdosta State University?
About 17% of undergraduates at Valdosta State University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Georgia parents ask about
- Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus37% acceptance
- Emory University11% acceptance
- University of Georgia62% acceptance
- Georgia State University16% acceptance
- Kennesaw State University69% acceptance
- Georgia Southern University88% acceptance
- Georgia State University-Perimeter College84% acceptance
- Savannah College of Art and Design84% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Valdosta State University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Valdosta State University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Valdosta State University
What GPA do I need for Valdosta State University?
Valdosta State University admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum.
What SAT or ACT score does Valdosta State University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 500–600, with an EBRW midpoint near 580. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 20–27.
How much does Valdosta State University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Valdosta State University after grants and scholarships is $8,155 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Valdosta State University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Valdosta State University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Valdosta State University?
Valdosta State University accepts about 57% of applicants out of roughly 10,201 who apply each year. That makes it a moderately selective school.
Is Valdosta State University test-optional?
No. Valdosta State University requires SAT or ACT scores as part of a standard application.
What is the graduation rate at Valdosta State University?
About 59% of students at Valdosta State University graduate within six years. 89% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Valdosta State University look for in applicants?
Valdosta State University rates course rigor, GPA, test scores and state residency as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Valdosta State University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Valdosta State University is a public institution located in Pensacola, Georgia.
What are the most popular majors at Valdosta State University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Valdosta State University by annual graduates are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Psychology, General and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. The school awards about 1,143 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Valdosta State University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Valdosta State University reported 4 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 0.4 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Valdosta State University?
At Valdosta State University, 17% of undergraduates live on campus, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Valdosta State University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.