Emporia State University campus
Emporia, United States
Photo: Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA)

Emporia State University

Emporia·university

77%

Acceptance rate

$15,675

Tuition/yr

5,500

Enrollment

16:1

Student:Faculty

About Emporia State University

Public university in Kansas. Strong education, business, and liberal arts programs.

Emporia State University (ESU) is a public university established in 1863 in Emporia, Kansas. It enrolls approximately 4,820 students across undergraduate and graduate programs, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

ESU's strongest programs are in teacher education, accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and library and information science. The School of Library and Information Management offers the only American Library Association-accredited Master of Library Science degree in Kansas, with specializations in archival studies, informatics, school library media, and youth services. Business and nursing are also established undergraduate offerings.

The university's 212-acre campus sits in the small city of Emporia (population roughly 25,000), located about 100 km southwest of Kansas City. ESU is a teaching-focused regional university; it appears in the US News Regional Universities Midwest category rather than national university rankings, which reflects its size and mission rather than program quality in its specialist fields.

World University Rankings

US News Best Global Universities (2025)##83 Regional Universities Midwest (2024)"

Campus & Location

Province

KS

Campus setting

Suburban

Cost of living: Housing: USD 900–2,500/mo | Food: USD 380–650/mo | Costs vary widely by city.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

All graduates qualify for 12-month OPT. STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total work authorisation.

For Nepali students

  • ESU's annual international undergraduate tuition and fees run approximately $15,675, making it one of the more affordable public university options in the United States for Nepali students; the total estimated cost of attendance including housing and living expenses is around $28,625 per year.
  • International students who qualify for the Partnership or Diversity Award reduce their total annual cost to roughly $23,075, and the Presidential Scholarship offers up to $20,000 per year based on academic merit, both are open to international applicants.
  • Graduates on F-1 visas are eligible for 12 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) after graduation, and those in STEM-designated programs may apply for a 24-month OPT extension, giving Nepali graduates up to three years of US work authorization.
  • ESU's teacher education and library science programs are professionally accredited and career-focused, which suits Nepali students targeting graduate study or employment in education, information management, or public health, fields with growing demand back in Nepal as well as in the US job market.

Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents

A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:

GPA 3.060%+ in NEB +2, B+ average in Cambridge A-levels, or Second Division in a TU bachelor's degree.
GPA 3.370%+ in NEB +2 or First Division in a TU bachelor's degree.
GPA 3.675%+ in NEB +2 or First Division with Distinction in a TU bachelor's degree.
IELTS 6.5The most common graduate minimum — achievable with 2–3 months of focused preparation. IELTS 7.0+ needed for the most competitive programs.

Use our GPA converter to translate your exact score to the 4.0 scale.

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Data last verified: 2026-06-19 · Source: https://www.emporia.edu. Information may change — verify with Emporia State University’s official website before applying.