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Valdosta State UniversityValdosta, GA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Psychology, General (11% of graduates). 17 students for every faculty member, more than at 78% of colleges. 68% of faculty are full-time. Spends $7,133 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

1,436 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 39% of graduates; 48 programs in 18 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Psychology, General 42.010111% 155
    Graduates in this field earn $47,285 4 years out
  2. Elementary Education and Teaching 13.12029.4% 135
    Graduates in this field earn $46,155 4 years out
  3. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other 24.01996.7% 96
    Graduates in this field earn $40,044 4 years out
  4. Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 51.00006.4% 92
  5. Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 43.01045.8% 84
    Graduates in this field earn $46,593 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Liberal arts and general studies, 2.4% → 6.7% of graduates since 2014–15 (96 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$77,890 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $71,395

    4 years after completion$77,890
    National median: $88,910Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $65,777 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $21,396 · 167 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer and Information Sciences, General$75,310 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $62,074

    4 years after completion$75,310
    National median: $92,374Below typical

    Median federal debt: $27,000 · 62 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Information Science/Studies$71,257 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $51,888

    4 years after completion$71,257
    National median: $85,294Below typical

    Median federal debt: $25,000 · 27 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Finance and Financial Management Services$68,453 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $43,532

    4 years after completion$68,453
    National median: $83,343Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $52,152 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $23,312 · 69 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. International Business$63,072 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $30,567

    4 years after completion$63,072
    National median: $73,201Below typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 38 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college17 to 1
17 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 78% of 1,892More students per faculty →

The college also reports 17 to 1 in its Common Data Set (6,900 students, 398 faculty).

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

59%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 2% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–962837%
10–1936622%
20–2941624%
30–3920212%
40–49463%
50–99292%
100+121%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Accelerated program
  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • Dual enrollment
  • English as a Second Language
  • Honors program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Teacher certification
  • Weekend college
  • Study abroad

Requires coursework in English composition, a foreign language, history, humanities, math, and a natural science.

Full-time faculty68%
National median: 67%About typical
Average faculty salary

$77,906

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$7,133
$7,133
← Lessmore than 13% of 557More →
Endowment per student$8,438
$8,438
← Lessmore than 35% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Valdosta State University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;Valdosta State University Common Data Set 2024–25, 2024–25;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)