Georgia Southern University vs Kennesaw State University

Metric	Georgia Southern University	Kennesaw State University
Undergraduate enrollment	21,790	41,254
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	87.9%	69.2%
Average SAT	1,053	1,113
Median ACT	21	23
In-state tuition	$6,022	$5,808
Out-of-state tuition	$17,734	$17,736
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$15,267	$15,048
Median debt at graduation	$23,250	$23,833
Graduation rate	54.9%	52.2%
First-year retention	77.8%	76.7%
Median salary (10 yr)	$53,236	$57,552

Metric

Georgia Southern University

Kennesaw State University

Undergraduate enrollment

21,790

41,254

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

87.9%

69.2%

Average SAT

1,053

1,113

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$6,022

$5,808

Out-of-state tuition

$17,734

$17,736

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$15,267

$15,048

Median debt at graduation

$23,250

$23,833

Graduation rate

54.9%

52.2%

First-year retention

77.8%

76.7%

Median salary (10 yr)

$53,236

$57,552

What the numbers say

Kennesaw State University is the harder admit at 69.2%, against 87.9% at Georgia Southern University.
Kennesaw State University costs less after aid — $15,048 a year versus $15,267, a difference of $219 annually, or roughly $876 across four years.
Kennesaw State University graduates report higher median earnings — $57,552 against $53,236 ten years after entry.
Georgia Southern University graduates a larger share of its students — 54.9% versus 52.2%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Kennesaw State University comes out ahead at 3.8× versus 3.5×.

Comparison tables are a starting point, not a decision. Three things matter more than anything in the table above:

Your real aid offer. Net price is an average across all income levels. Two students at the same school can pay amounts that differ by tens of thousands. Wait for actual award letters before ruling anything out on cost.
Your intended major. Earnings vary more between majors at one school than between schools for one major. A computer science graduate from the "lower earning" school here will likely out-earn a general studies graduate from the other.
Whether you will finish. Graduation rate is the metric most predictive of whether the money spent turns into a credential. Campus fit, support services, and commute all feed into it more than prestige does.

Visit before you commit

Both Georgia Southern University and Kennesaw State University run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.