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. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $21,193
- Avg net price / yr
- $62,569
- 10-yr median earnings
- 65.1%
- 150%-time completion
- 93.3%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
Western Washington University pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 13%
- former-student earnings, US
- 93.3%
- acceptance rate
- 65.1%
- 150%-time completion
- +38%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Small
Carnegie: Master's (L)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Western Washington University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
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 former-student earnings
Net Price F
$21,193
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate C+
65.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
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
150%-time completion
65.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 65.1%
Four-year-institution cohort
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 completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Western Washington University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student 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: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$62,569 Top 13% higher than 87% 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 · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Western Washington University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $62,569 | #662 of 5103 | 87th |
| Average net price | $21,193 | #3319 of 5020 | 34th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 65.1% | #1812 of 4858 | 63rd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 13,544 | #238 of 5462 | 96th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
13,544
Undergraduate enrollment
93.3%
Acceptance rate
1,289
SAT average
65.1%
150%-time completion
$62,569
10-yr median earnings
79.4%
First-year retention
How Western Washington University ranks in Washington
State rank among 87 reporting Washington colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Western Washington University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $62,569 | #18 of 87 | 79th |
| Average net price | $21,193 | #57 of 83 | 31st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 65.1% | #22 of 78 | 72nd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 13,544 | #3 of 88 | 97th |
Highest former-student earnings in Washington
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DigiPen Institute of Technology | $79,878 | $44,446 |
| 2 | Gonzaga University | $78,892 | $35,119 |
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $78,466 | $14,091 |
| 4 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | $78,466 | $12,319 |
| 5 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | $78,466 | $10,163 |
| 6 | Seattle University | $75,272 | $34,662 |
| 7 | University of Puget Sound | $69,594 | $38,394 |
| 8 | City University of Seattle | $69,460 | - |
| 9 | Washington State University | $68,905 | $14,971 |
| 10 | Washington State University-Vancouver | $68,905 | - |
| 11 | Washington State University-Spokane | $68,905 | - |
| 12 | Washington State University-Tri Cities | $68,905 | - |
| 18 | Western Washington UniversityThis school | $62,569 | $21,193 |
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 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Western Washington University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$12,915 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$14,147 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$17,539 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$27,984 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Western Washington University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $9,582 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $28,707 |
| Average Net Price | $21,193 |
20.9%
Pell Grant Rate
29.2%
Federal Loan Rate
$18,500
Median Debt
$196/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Western Washington University swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $9,717 to $18,680 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +14.4%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$9,717
Highest year
$18,680
Most recent (2023)
$18,680
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $16,3252023 · $18,680
Over the same years, enrollment went -2.5% (13,925 → 13,574 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
60.0%
Female
26.7%
First Generation
Outcomes
79.4%
Retention Rate
$45,272
Median Earnings (6yr)
65.1%
Earning Over $25K
79.4%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 65.1% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 79.4% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $45,272 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $62,569 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 65.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 79.4% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $18,500 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $196/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 61 | 3,328 | $60,680 | $110,138 | $19,219 |
| Master's | 8 | 202 | $83,968 | $129,722 | $30,738 |
| Certificate | 2 | 16 | - | - | $15,000 |
Top programs at Western Washington University by completer 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
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO
$21,279 net price · $86 apart
Texas A&M University-College Station
College Station, TX
$21,315 net price · $122 apart
Eastern Connecticut State University
Willimantic, CT
$21,067 net price · $126 apart
Dakota State University
Madison, SD
$21,057 net price · $136 apart
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. Undergraduate enrollment is 13,544 students.
How much do Western Washington University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Western Washington University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $62,569 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $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 65.1% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). 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 former students earn a median of $62,569 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 30% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 79.4% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $196.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student 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).
Where to go next from Western Washington University
- Compare Western Washington University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Washington side by side.Browse Washington
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
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. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.