$56,887
median earnings, 10 years after starting
University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public 4-year college in Lincoln, Nebraska with 19,178 undergraduates and 4,692 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $17,747 a year (tuition and fees $10,434 in-state, $28,584 out-of-state). It admits 87% of applicants and 67% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $56,887 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$17,747
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$10,434
Out-of-state $28,584
Admission rate
87%
US median 78%
Completion rate
67%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,000
About $223 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$56,887
Rank 977 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $17,747
- Tuition in-state
- $10,434
- Tuition out-of-state
- $28,584
- Cost of attendance
- $26,697
- Students with a need-based grant
- 23%
- Students with federal loans
- 33%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,751
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $13,054
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $14,699
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $18,975
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $22,346
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $8,367 in 2015-16 to $10,434 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 87%
- Average SAT
- 1,191
- SAT reading, middle
- 605
- SAT math, middle
- 600
- ACT, middle
- 25
- Undergraduates
- 19,178
- Graduate students
- 4,692
- Part-time students
- 4.1%
- Women
- 50%
- Students per teacher
- 17
- Completion rate
- 67%
- Retention rate
- 86%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 261
- Endowment
- $1.5B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 977 of 5,094 US colleges and 7 of 35 in Nebraska (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NE median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $17,747 | $16,590 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $10,434 | $9,310 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 87% | 79% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 67% | 55% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 86% | 75% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,000 | $19,500 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $47,692 | $40,857 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $56,887 | $48,110 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 74% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 80% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
261 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 371 | $21,500 | $47,663 | $67,918 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 249 | $21,500 | $33,034 | $49,965 | $50,706 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 237 | $19,500 | $55,979 | $77,504 | $83,343 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 226 | $22,102 | $42,168 | $61,145 | $63,560 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 181 | $21,500 | $51,354 | $74,165 | $69,303 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 168 | $35,126 | $113,196 | $138,487 | $103,485 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 162 | $22,185 | $44,011 | $48,046 | $47,382 |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 151 | $20,544 | $35,242 | $48,305 | $53,262 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 146 | $23,865 | $33,728 | $61,092 | $54,945 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 138 | $21,281 | $54,785 | $78,760 | $76,194 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 137 | $20,767 | $71,318 | $88,972 | $92,135 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 137 | $25,000 | $24,063 | $64,930 | $57,214 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 128 | $54,456 | $66,354 | $90,759 | $107,773 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 123 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 112 | $21,907 | $45,786 | $51,293 | $51,389 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $25,000 | $70,542 | $81,620 | $86,517 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 91 | $23,071 | $33,514 | $46,817 | $55,012 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $20,990 | $32,553 | $53,618 | $56,278 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 87 | $19,490 | $43,225 | $79,251 | $69,562 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 81 | $18,250 | $53,229 | $65,312 | $66,647 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 81 | $20,645 | $39,064 | $49,193 | $49,634 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 80 | $21,500 | $36,364 | $63,466 | $63,293 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 77 | $19,300 | $33,520 | $64,521 | $65,466 |
| Computer EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 70 | $20,240 | $82,398 | $103,934 | $109,015 |
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Nebraska on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Nebraska
- Homes: Homes for sale in Nebraska
Questions and answers
How much does University of Nebraska-Lincoln cost?
$17,747 a year is the average net price at University of Nebraska-Lincoln after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $10,434 for in-state students and $28,584 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $26,697. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,751 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
87% of applicants are admitted to University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,191 and the middle ACT score is 25. The median admission rate of colleges in Nebraska is 79%.
How much do University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates earn?
$56,887 a year is the median pay of former University of Nebraska-Lincoln students who work, 10 years after they started ($47,692 after 6 years). That ranks 977 of 5,094 US colleges and 7 of 35 in Nebraska. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's) at $113,196.
How much student debt do University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates have?
$21,000 is the median federal student loan debt of University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates, about $223 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 33% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
67% of first-time, full-time students at University of Nebraska-Lincoln finish within 6 years. 86% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (371 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (249 bachelor's graduates), Finance and Financial Management Services (237 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 261 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.