Nebraska: the complete school report for parents

What does Nebraska actually weigh in admissions?

Nebraska rates none of the 18 factors "Very Important". It does not consider 14 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is Nebraska's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.

What GPA do admitted students actually have?

53% of enrolled students had a 3.50 GPA or above. The average was 3.54 on a 4 scale, reported for 91% of the entering class. This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.

Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?

Nebraska admitted 53.5% of 1,980 transfer applicants, against 87.8% of first-year applicants. The two routes are similarly competitive here.

When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?

Nebraska offers neither Early Decision nor Early Action, so there is no early round to strategize about and every applicant is read in one pool.

What will Nebraska actually cost us?

Families pay an average of $17,747 a year at Nebraska after grants and scholarships, against a published in-state tuition of $9,090. The published price is not what most families pay. The university reports meeting 79% of demonstrated need on average. It also gave 1,677 merit awards averaging $8,516 to first-years with no demonstrated need.

What families at each income level actually paid:

46% of Nebraska graduates borrow, leaving with an average of $23,870 in debt, which the federal data puts at about $223 a month in repayment. Nebraska’s net price calculator gives your own figure.

Does a degree from Nebraska pay off?

Graduates earn a median $56,887 ten years after entering, and $47,692 at six years. 84% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 74% are actively paying down their loans three years in.

Four-year net cost against that earnings premium:

A scale, not a forecast: it assumes aid and earnings hold steady.

$109,323 to $42,040, depending on the major. Median earnings five years out at Nebraska:

College Scorecard, by field of study; highest and lowest shown.

Will my child actually graduate?

86% of first-years return for a second year. 54% graduate within four years and 69% within six (2019 cohort). The rate holds up across income: 59.0% of Pell-grant recipients graduate within six years against 75.0% of everyone else, a gap of 16.0 points.

How big are the classes?

30% of class sections have fewer than 20 students, while 9% have 100 or more. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1, and 85% of faculty are full-time. Both are true at once: 9% of sections seat 100 or more, and those are the introductory lectures. Accredited by Higher Learning Commission.

What is life at Nebraska like?

19,787 undergraduates, 26% of first-years from out of state. 91% of freshmen live in university housing, falling to 52% across all undergraduates. Greek life is small: 30% of men join a fraternity and 37% of women a sorority. 22% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $60,976.

What this means for your student

• 53% of enrolled students are at a 3.50 GPA or above, averaging 3.54. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
• Skip demonstrated-interest tactics here. Visits and emails are not tracked, so save that effort for schools where they count.
• Its highest-earning major returns $109,323 five years out against $42,040 at the other end, a gap wider than the one between most schools.
• See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.

Common questions about Nebraska

Other schools families compare with Nebraska

• University of Kansas
  Admissions report · 92.6% admit rate
• Lehigh
  Admissions report · 29.0% admit rate
• Emory University
  Admissions report · 10.3% admit rate
• University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
  Admissions report · 89.1% admit rate
• BYU
  Admissions report · 68.6% admit rate
• Drexel
  Admissions report · 69.9% admit rate