Fort Hays State University

Community of Hays

FHSU is located in Hays, a vibrant college town of approximately 20,000, located halfway between Kansas City and Denver on Interstate 70. Hays is the regional center for education, health care, professional services, shopping, culture, and recreation for the western half of Kansas. The community boasts excellent recreational programs and facilities, including the comprehensive Center for Health Improvement, Hays Aquatic Park, Smoky Hill Country Club, Hays Municipal Golf Course, and extensive walking, running, and biking trails. Hays is within 45 minutes of two large lakes that offer great opportunities for boating, fishing, and camping. The Hays Municipal Airport provides connecting service to Denver with several flights daily. The Hays community is home to excellent Pre-K and K-12, public and private schools. With over 60 restaurants, major retail outlets, a low unemployment rate, and very short commute times, the city provides a safe, welcoming, low-cost, high-quality living environment for the residents who call "Hays, America" home.

About Us

Fort Hays State University was founded in 1902 as the Western Branch of Kansas State Normal School-a teacher`s college. Our hometown, Hays, Kansas, is located on the high plains of north-central Kansas. The original home of the institution was on the grounds of Fort Hays, a Nineteenth-Century frontier military outpost. The state of Kansas initially intended the university`s academic programs to focus on agriculture, but it opened as a "normal" or teacher`s college. Our mission is to develop the engaged global citizen-leaders our world needs.

FHSU today is a regional comprehensive public university where determined, innovative, and caring faculty and staff share a deep commitment to teaching and mentoring students. Total enrollment at FHSU exceeds 14,000 students who pursue their educational goals on-campus, online, and at our two international partnership campuses in China.

Employers tell us the combination of challenging academic programs, close faculty/student relationships, and the abundance of experiential learning opportunities our students enjoy while at FHSU set our students apart in competitive job markets worldwide. More than 95% of FHSU students secure jobs or higher education opportunities after they graduate. And FHSU consistently ranks among the top regional universities in the American Midwest. 

A pioneer in distance education, we began delivering correspondence courses to teachers in rural Kansas early in the 20th Century. Today, FHSU Online delivers more than 200 flexible, affordable, and high-quality online programs. Over the years, FHSU Online received many accolades, including U.S. News & World Report Online Programs rankings, GetEducated.com, and Best Buys in Education, among others.

The university has rich sports and cultural programming, all of which enjoy tremendous community support. The Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center is home to the Encore Series, which hosts many traveling Broadway shows, the Hays Symphony, university, and other national and world-caliber performances.

The university supports one of the most extensive and successful intercollegiate sports programs of any comparably sized college or university in America, boasting numerous All-American athletes and eight national championships. Nearly 400 athletes compete annually in eight men`s and eight women`s sports. FHSU is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, which comprises 14 schools from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

Visit the Fort Hays State University homepage at www.fhsu.edu.