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Norfolk State University Complete Information Guide

88% Acceptance Rate
17% Student Loan Default Rate

This overview covers the essential stats on Norfolk State University, including its rankings, majors, diversity, and more.

Want to dig deeper into a particular stat? Just click on its tile and you’ll be taken to a more in-depth page on the figure. In addition, you can use the links below to quickly jump to any section on this page.

* Rankings

How Well Is Norfolk State University Ranked?

2026 Rankings

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.

Overall Ranking

Norfolk State; NSU was not ranked in College Factual’s Best Overall Colleges report this year. This may be because not enough data was available.

See all of the rankings for Norfolk State University.

What Are the Admission Requirements for Norfolk State University?

88% Acceptance Rate
89% Of Accepted Are Women
9% Submit SAT Scores

Admission Selectivity

Norfolk State University has an acceptance rate of 88%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for Norfolk State; NSU.

Average Test Scores

About 9% of students accepted to Norfolk State; NSU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 430 and 520. Math scores were between 393 and 510.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Norfolk State University  ( 430 to 520 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Norfolk State University  ( 393 to 510 )
200
800

Norfolk State; NSU received ACT scores from 1% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 16 and 22.

ACT Composite Scores for Norfolk State University  ( 16 to 22 )
1
36

Learn more about Norfolk State University admissions.

Instructors at Norfolk State University

15 to 1 Student to Faculty
63% Full Time Teachers

Class Sizes

With a student to faculty ratio of 15 to 1, Norfolk State University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.

Full-Time Instructors

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Norfolk State University is 63%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  63 out of 100
0
100

Academic Performance at Norfolk State University

72% Freshmen Retention
33% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshman Success

The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Norfolk State University is 72%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  72 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate is the percent of first-time, full-time students who get their bachelor’s degree within four years. At Norfolk State; NSU this rate is 33%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  33 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Norfolk State University.

Student Demographics at Norfolk State University

5,495 Undergraduate Students
90.6% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
66.3% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 5,495 undergraduates at Norfolk State; NSU.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Norfolk State University.

How Much Does Norfolk State University Cost?

$16,772 Net Price
64% Take Out Loans
$25,576 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of Norfolk State; NSU is $16,772. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.### Net Price by Income Group for Norfolk State; NSU

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$11,099 $12,836 $13,868 $14,235 $18,020

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Norfolk State; NSU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Borrowing and Loans

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Norfolk State; NSU, approximately 64% of students took out student loans averaging $6,394 a year. That adds up to $25,576 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 17.1%. This is significantly higher than the national default rate of 10.1%, which means you could have trouble paying back your student loans if you take any out. Get more details about paying for Norfolk State University.

What Do Norfolk State University Alumni Earn?

$44,666 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Norfolk State University make about $44,666 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.

See which majors at Norfolk State University make the most money.

Location of Norfolk State University

Virginia State
5,495 Undergraduate Students
Midsize City Campus Setting

Norfolk State University is an public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk is a great location for students who prefer city over country life. Get more details about the location of Norfolk State University.

Location of Norfolk State University

Contact details for Norfolk State University are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: 700 Park Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23504-8000
Phone: 7578238600
Website: www.nsu.edu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Norfolk-State-University/114887855927
Twitter: twitter.com/nsuspartanz

Norfolk State University Majors

21 Majors With Completions
1,882 Undergraduate Degrees

In the most recent reporting year, students from 21 majors graduated from Norfolk State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 941 NA
General Psychology 115 NA
Business & Commerce 106 NA
Social Work 82 $45,411
Other Interdisciplinary Studies 72 NA
Health/Medical Admin Services 61 NA
Other Communication & Journalism 51 NA
Sociology 51 NA
General Biology 47 NA
Computer Information Systems 37 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at Norfolk State University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Online Study Options at Norfolk State; NSU

87% Take At Least One Class Online
10% Take All Classes Online

Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.

4,803 students took at least one online class at Norfolk State University.

Learn more about online learning at Norfolk State University.

Comparable CollegesCurious how schools stack up against Norfolk State; NSU? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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