Wayne, NE · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for Wayne State College
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what a SmartTuition plan could save a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$59,010
A SmartTuition plan could save a family like this about $5,600.
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester, using your own numbers.
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A family of four with good credit and $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at Wayne State College
| Full price, in state | $20,682 |
| Full price, out of state | $20,682 |
| After grants, at your income | $13,803 |
At this income, 2 of Nebraska's other 9 colleges cost less after grants, and 7 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. Wayne State's State College Tuition Guarantee covers the tuition left after the Pell Grant for a new Pell-eligible Nebraska student. Room, board, books and fees are not covered. It renews for up to four years (and 4 more below).
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
At Wayne State College, our scenarios for Nebraska households with good parent credit show a SmartTuition plan saving a median of about $5,100 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
Considering more than one college?
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Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What Wayne State College says it awards for grades and test scores.
Wayne State's State College Tuition Guarantee covers the tuition left after the Pell Grant for a new Pell-eligible Nebraska student. Room, board, books and fees are not covered. It renews for up to four years.
“The Nebraska State College Tuition Guarantee ensures that Pell-qualified Nebraska students can attend Chadron State, Peru State, or Wayne State College tuition-free.”
Wayne State gives a freshman who applies by May 1 an automatic tuition scholarship of $1,000 to $5,000 a year, set by GPA or test score. Its page does not print the cutoffs.
“Incoming freshmen are awarded automatic admission-based scholarships.”
Wayne State's Neihardt Scholars Program pays full tuition for four years, full housing and a $500 yearly stipend to students with a 25 ACT or 1200 SAT and a 3.5 GPA. Applications close December 1.
“The Neihardt scholarship offers full tuition for four years, full cost of housing at the lowest standard residence hall rate (double occupancy), and a $500 annual stipend. To be eligibile students should have a verified ACT of at least 25 or an SAT of at least 1200, and a verified 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale for six semesters.”
Wayne State's Presidential Scholarship pays full tuition and half the cost of housing for four years to students with a 30 ACT or 1390 SAT. Applications close December 1.
“This scholarship provides full tuition and half of the cost of housing at the lowest standard residence hall rate (double occupancy), renewable for four years. To qualify, students must have a verified ACT score of at least 30 or an SAT of at least 1390.”
Wayne State's Board of Trustees Scholarship pays full tuition for four years to a Nebraska high school graduate with a 25 ACT or 1200 SAT and a 3.0 GPA. Awards are limited.
“This scholarship is for students graduating from a Nebraska high school and provides full tuition up to 18 credit hours per semester, renewable for four years (not to exceed 128 credit hours maximum). To be eligible, student should be a first-time freshmen and have a verified ACT score of at least 25 or a composite SAT score of at least 1200 and a verified GPA of 3.0. Offers will be extended on a priority basis, as there are a limited number of awards available.”
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with good parent credit and $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what Wayne State College reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. For a family that lives in Nebraska, it also counts Nebraska's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan.
The $5,100 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving in Wayne State College's own scenarios. Each scenario is a household that lives in Nebraska, with an income from $45,000 to $200,000 and savings of none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price Wayne State College at the aid it reports for that income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. The card above uses the same two. A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: Wayne State College's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing and food, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. Books are the College Scorecard's. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2025-26 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wayne State College. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- Peru State College$7,988 a year
- Chadron State College$12,355 a year
- Wayne State College$13,803 a year
- University of Nebraska at Kearney$14,419 a year
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln$17,380 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every Nebraska college →