Wayne State College


Wayne State College is a public college in Wayne, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Nebraska State College System and enrolls 4,202 students. Their mascot is the Wildcat. The college was preceded by the Nebraska Normal College, which was formed in 1891 by J.M. Pile. Control of the college was later transferred to the state, and it was officially formed in 1910 as the Wayne State Normal College. The college changed its name to Wayne State College in 1963.

History

Wayne State College was preceded by the Nebraska Normal College, which opened on November 21, 1891. The college was formed by J.M. Pile, who then served as the college's president. It was a private college, then-owned by faculty. Pile died in 1909, and control of the college was transferred to his son, Fred M. Pile. Pile transferred control of the college to the Nebraska State College System, making it a state institution the following year, re-branding to the Wayne State Normal College.
The college added the Wayne Teachers College in 1921. Additionally, the entire organization re-branded to the Wayne State Normal College and Teachers College. In 1933, during the Great Depression in the United States, Wayne State had laid-off half of its staff due to a funding crisis. In 1949, the Nebraska State Legislature changed the name of the college to the Wayne State Teacher's College after the name had been used unofficially years prior. In 1963, the state legislature changed the name again to its current name, Wayne State College.
In 2011, Wayne State College and Northeast Community College opened the College Center in South Sioux City. College Center provides affordable college-level education to older adults.

Campus

Wayne State College's campus is located in Wayne, Nebraska, United States. The campus contains seven residence halls, ten academic buildings, thirteen athletic facilities, and seven service facilities. The campus also includes the Willow Bowl. Also located on the main campus is the college radio station, KWSC. Wayne State College also operates a satellite campus at College Center in South Sioux City.

Academics

Wayne State College is a public college operated under the Nebraska State College System. The college has 31 undergraduate fields of study. Major fields of study include Business Administration, Teachers Education and Professional Development, Criminal Justice and Corrections, and Health and Physical Education. As of 2025, the college enrolls 3,041 undergraduate students.
For 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Wayne State tied for No.96 out of 165 Regional Universities Midwest, No.32 in Regional Universities Midwest Top Public Schools, and tied for No.92 in Regional Universities Midwest Top Performers on Social Mobility. Wayne State has an open admission policy, admitting all applicants so long as certain minimum requirements are met. In 2024, those enrolled had an average 3.36 high school GPA.

Athletics

Wayne State athletic teams are the Wildcats. The college is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, primarily competing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in all sports since the 1999–2000 academic year. The Wildcats previously competed in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics from 1976–77 to 1988–89; as well as in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as a provisional member during the 1989–90 school year.

Notable alumni