10-yr median earnings
$62,569
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Bellingham, Washington
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is a public institution in Bellingham, Washington. Graduates earn a median of $62,569 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $21,193/yr.
- $62,569
- 10-yr median earnings
- $21,193
- Avg net price / yr
- 93.3%
- Acceptance rate
- 65.1%
- 4-yr completion
The verdict
Western Washington University pairs top-10% graduate earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 10%
- graduate earnings, US
- 93.3%
- acceptance rate
- 65.1%
- 4-yr completion
- +38%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Small
Carnegie: Master's (L)
Western Washington University is a public institution in Bellingham, Washington enrolling 13,544 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 93.3% with an average SAT of 1,289. Graduates earn a median of $62,569 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $21,193. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.
Data updated July 2026
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Western Washington University
Western Washington University operates as a public institution located in Bellingham, Washington (city: small), with a total reported enrollment of 13,544 students of which 15,170 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile's peer group and cost cohort are determined; Western Washington University is categorized as "Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.
The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.
College Value Score
C+
College Value Score
61/100
Western Washington University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A
$62,569
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price F
$21,193
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$18,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A
79.4%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C
79.4%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$21,193
After grants and scholarships
4-yr completion
65.1%
First-time, full-time bachelor's
4-year completion vs national average (40%) 65.1%
Higher is better
College ROI Quadrant - Western Washington University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.
How Western Washington University ranks nationally
Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Western Washington University: graduate earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$62,569 Top 10% higher than 90% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024
Quick Facts
13,544
Total enrollment
93.3%
Acceptance rate
1,289
SAT average
65.1%
4-yr graduation rate
$62,569
10-yr median earnings
79.4%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 93.3% |
| SAT Average | 1,289 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 560 – 680 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 590 – 710 |
| ACT Average | 26 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 24 – 31 |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $9,582 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $28,707 |
| Average Net Price | $21,193 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $12,915 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $14,147 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $17,539 |
| Over $110,000 | $27,984 |
20.9%
Pell Grant Rate
29.2%
Federal Loan Rate
$18,500
Median Debt
$196/mo
Monthly Payment
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
60.0%
Female
26.7%
First Generation
Outcomes
65.1%
4-Year Completion Rate
79.4%
Retention Rate
$45,272
Median Earnings (6yr)
$62,569
Median Earnings (10yr)
65.1%
Earning Over $25K
79.4%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Western Washington University by graduate earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$129,722 median earnings
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$110,138 median earnings
- Electrical, Electronics, a…
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$107,131 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$97,723 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$96,695 median earnings
- Polymer/Plastics Engineering
Polymer/Plastics Engineering
$92,439 median earnings
- Manufacturing Engineering
Manufacturing Engineering
$85,314 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$82,246 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Nearby Schools
Guides & Resources
Is College Worth It?
Analyze the financial return of a degree
Debt vs. Earnings by Major
Which fields of study pay off fastest
Colleges With the Best ROI
Schools where graduates earn the most vs. cost
How to Compare Colleges
A data-driven framework for picking schools
Understanding Earnings Data
How College Scorecard measures outcomes
Community College vs. 4-Year
Compare costs, outcomes, and career paths
Related Colleges
Other public institutions in Washington
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA
31,942 students Earn $78,466 39.1% admit
Washington State University
Pullman, WA
21,099 students Earn $68,905 86.6% admit
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
7,833 students Earn $61,580 90.6% admit
Bellevue College
Bellevue, WA
7,364 students Earn $56,310
Eastern Washington University
Cheney, WA
6,222 students Earn $57,897 90.8% admit
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Bothell, WA
5,457 students Earn $78,466 90.6% admit
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Western Washington University? ▼
Western Washington University is a public institution in Bellingham, Washington. The acceptance rate is 93.3%. The average SAT score is 1,289. Total enrollment is 13,544 students.
How much do Western Washington University graduates earn? ▼
Graduates of Western Washington University earn a median of $62,569 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $45,272.
How much does Western Washington University cost? ▼
The average net price at Western Washington University is $21,193. In-state tuition is $9,582 and out-of-state tuition is $28,707. Median student debt at graduation is $18,500.
What is the graduation rate at Western Washington University? ▼
Western Washington University has a 4-year completion rate of 65.1%. The first-year retention rate is 79.4%.
Is Western Washington University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Western Washington University is $18,500, while graduates earn a median of $62,569 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 30% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 79.4% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $196.
Sources & methodology
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.
Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - graduate earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
What this means for Western Washington University
- Western Washington University's graduates land in the 10th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $21,193 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
- See how this school compares to every other college in Washington.Browse Washington
This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.