“Public R2 research university with two Atlanta-area campuses and over 51,000 students.”
Kennesaw State University is a large public research university in the north Atlanta metro area, enrolling more than 51,000 students across two campuses in Kennesaw and Marietta — making it the third-largest university in Georgia and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S. Southeast. Founded in 1963 and classified by Carnegie as a doctoral-research institution (R2), KSU operates eleven academic colleges, grants degrees from bachelor's through doctoral level, and enrolls international students from more than 100 countries. For international students, KSU offers a rare combination of big-university resources with relatively affordable out-of-state tuition, proximity to one of the world's busiest airports (Hartsfield-Jackson ATL), and direct entry into Atlanta's Fortune-500 employer base — including Coca-Cola, Delta, UPS, Home Depot, and a dense cluster of tech and fintech firms. Popular programs include business (AACSB-accredited Coles College), engineering and computer science (Southern Polytechnic College on the Marietta campus), nursing, cybersecurity, and computing — many of which are STEM-designated and qualify graduates for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Campus life is energetic and spirited: the KSU Owls field 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs and just captured the 2025 Conference USA football championship in only their fifth FBS season. Traditions like Scrappy's Bucket List, Homecoming Week, the mechanical-engineering Pumpkin Launch, and Red Friday game days give students a classic American college experience, while the 405-acre Kennesaw campus and 240-acre Marietta campus provide green space, residence halls, and a Journey Honors College community for ambitious students.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
International Student Enrollment (F-1)
DHS SEVIS by the Numbers (2024)
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Research Classification
Carnegie
Best General Engineering Technology Bachelor's Degree School
Kennesaw State
Best College for Computer Science in Georgia
Kennesaw State
Research classification
Carnegie Classification
General Engineering Technology (Bachelor's)
KSU
Test Required — All applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores.
Official SourceSummer 2026
Application and document deadline for freshmen and transfer freshmen
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$5,808
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$17,736
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
4 years
STEM-designated program at an NSA-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, with hands-on security-operations lab access.
4 years
ABET-accredited program on the Marietta engineering campus, long feeding graduates into Lockheed Martin, Delta TechOps, and Southern Company.
4 years
AACSB-accredited BBA with 10+ concentrations, tight links to Atlanta's corporate HQs, and an applied entrepreneurship center.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $17,736
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
