College Viability Inspection Report

Southern Connecticut State University

Connecticut · Public

Southern Connecticut State University is a public institution in Connecticut, enrolling 5,987 students as of 2024. It graduates 32% of students in four years, returns 78% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $19,827 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 5 are flagged: Retention, Graduation, Enrollment, Endowment, and Cost vs. Completion. This report benchmarks Southern Connecticut State University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Southern Connecticut State University Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

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College Viability
Data Summary

Southern Connecticut State University — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Southern Connecticut State University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate32.0%+39.1%36th
Six-Year Graduation Rate53.0%+3.9%46th
Full-Time Retention Rate78.0%+1.3%54th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate45.3%+3.3%45th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap8.8pp-26.5%49th
Pell Share of Cohort47.2%+19.1%67th

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio0.99×+8.6%25th
Total FTE Enrollment5,987-18.8%81st
Endowment Value$40.5M+29.8%44th
Net Assets (End of Year)$412.6M+21.0%81st

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %32.3%-28.5%45th
Student Support Spending %9.6%-22.0%36th
Administrative Spending %9.4%-27.2%14th
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio4.46×+0.1%83rd
Average Net Price$19,827+3.2%53rd
Net Price: $0-30K Income$17,736-0.2%67th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$18,729-2.5%71st
Net Price: $48-75K Income$19,437-7.5%65th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$22,532-5.6%61st
Net Price: $110K+ Income$27,809+12.6%64th

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Southern Connecticut State University's retention rate fell below 80% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Southern Connecticut State University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Southern Connecticut State University's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10pp in 2 of 5 eligible years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Southern Connecticut State University's ratio fell below 1.0 in 2 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Southern Connecticut State University's total enrollment fell from 7,370 to 5,987 students between 2020 and 2024 (-18.8%) — a decline of 5% or more.
Financial HealthTriggered
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Southern Connecticut State University's endowment is $40.5M, under the $50 million threshold. A smaller endowment leaves less cushion for scholarships and for tough budget years, even though it grew +29.8% over the period.
Financial HealthTriggered
High Cost, Low Completion
Southern Connecticut State University costs more than the national median AND graduates students at below-median rates — both conditions for this flag are met.
Value for MoneyTriggered
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Southern Connecticut State University spends $4.46 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin in 2024 — at or above the national median of $2.75 in every reported year.
Value for MoneyCleared
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared