by our College Data Analytics TeamNorfolk State University is a public institution in Norfolk, Virginia enrolling 5,392 undergraduates. It accepts 88% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 38%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,187 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 42%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Norfolk State University ranks #2,187 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 42%.
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.
Norfolk State University was awarded 1 badge in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked Norfolk State; NSU as #2,187 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
Within the state, Norfolk State; NSU holds the #47 spot on the Best Colleges in Virginia ranking.
See all of the rankings for Norfolk State University.
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.
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.
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.
Learn more about Norfolk State University admissions.
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.
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 54%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
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 73%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Norfolk State; NSU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 38%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Norfolk State University.
In the current academic year, there are 5,392 undergraduates at Norfolk State; NSU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Norfolk State University.
The overall average net price of Norfolk State; NSU is $17,140. 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.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12,804 | $13,905 | $15,507 | $17,972 | $26,175 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_State_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/pages/Norfolk-State-University/114887855927 |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/nsuspartanz |
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 | 1,012 | NA |
| Business & Commerce | 107 | NA |
| Social Work | 99 | $45,411 |
| General Psychology | 97 | NA |
| Health/Medical Admin Services | 94 | NA |
| Other Communication & Journalism | 64 | NA |
| Other Interdisciplinary Studies | 61 | NA |
| General Biology | 50 | NA |
| Sociology | 49 | NA |
| Computer Information Systems | 47 | NA |
4,803 students took at least one online class at Norfolk State University.
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.
Learn more about online learning at Norfolk State University.
Curious 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.
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.
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