10-yr median earnings
$56,911
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Salem, Oregon
Willamette University
Willamette University is a private nonprofit institution in Salem, Oregon. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $56,911
- 10-yr median earnings
- 77.1%
- Acceptance rate
- $25,121
- Avg net price / yr
- 72.0%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Willamette University pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 19%
- former-student earnings, US
- 77.1%
- acceptance rate
- 72.0%
- 150%-time completion
- +46%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Willamette 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 ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus"), 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
60/100
Willamette 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 B+
$56,911
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$25,121
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate B
72.0%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$21,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
83.6%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B+
86.5%
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
$25,121
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
72.0%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 72.0%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Willamette 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 Willamette 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.
Willamette University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$56,911 Top 19% higher than 81% 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 | Willamette University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $56,911 | #967 of 5103 | 81st |
| Average net price | $25,121 | #3937 of 5020 | 22nd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 72.0% | #1249 of 4858 | 74th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,592 | #1692 of 5462 | 69th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,592
Undergraduate enrollment
77.1%
Acceptance rate
1,377
SAT average
72.0%
150%-time completion
$56,911
10-yr median earnings
86.5%
First-year retention
How Willamette University ranks in Oregon
State rank among 59 reporting Oregon colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Willamette University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $56,911 | #14 of 59 | 76th |
| Average net price | $25,121 | #43 of 56 | 23rd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 72.0% | #13 of 57 | 77th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,592 | #21 of 65 | 68th |
Highest former-student earnings in Oregon
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Health & Science University | $101,028 | - |
| 2 | University of Portland | $82,804 | $28,210 |
| 3 | Linfield University | $78,638 | $26,536 |
| 4 | Oregon Institute of Technology | $72,273 | $15,706 |
| 5 | Oregon State University | $64,010 | $19,604 |
| 6 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus | $64,010 | $18,048 |
| 7 | Reed College | $62,927 | $33,013 |
| 8 | Lewis & Clark College | $62,205 | $36,013 |
| 9 | University of Oregon | $61,324 | $22,182 |
| 10 | Pacific University | $60,583 | $35,273 |
| 11 | George Fox University | $59,761 | $31,679 |
| 12 | Portland State University | $57,906 | $9,552 |
| 14 | Willamette UniversityThis school | $56,911 | $25,121 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 77.1% |
| SAT Average | 1,377 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 600 – 710 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 640 – 730 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 28 – 33 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Willamette University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$16,182 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$16,825 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$18,225 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$33,794 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Willamette University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $51,156 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $51,156 |
| Average Net Price | $25,121 |
23.5%
Pell Grant Rate
39.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$21,500
Median Debt
$228/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Willamette University swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $23,663 to $34,294 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -21.9%, 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
$23,663
Highest year
$34,294
Most recent (2023)
$23,663
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $30,3122023 · $23,663
Over the same years, enrollment went -22.6% (1,970 → 1,525 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
57.0%
Female
19.2%
First Generation
Outcomes
86.5%
Retention Rate
$38,932
Median Earnings (6yr)
64.0%
Earning Over $25K
83.6%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 72.0% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 86.5% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $38,932 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $56,911 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 64.0% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 83.6% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $21,500 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $228/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 20 | 335 | $62,767 | $100,650 | $21,345 |
| Master's | 1 | 101 | $101,544 | $101,544 | $72,115 |
| First Professional | 1 | 96 | $100,524 | $100,524 | $162,945 |
Top programs at Willamette University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$101,544 median earnings
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$100,650 median earnings
- Law
Law
$100,524 median earnings
- Physics
Physics
$89,506 median earnings
- Chemistry
Chemistry
$79,592 median earnings
- Communication and Media St…
Communication and Media Studies
$70,412 median earnings
- Political Science and Gove…
Political Science and Government
$63,407 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$63,255 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.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's | 101 | $101,544 | $72,115 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's | 10 | $100,650 | - |
| Law | First Professional | 96 | $100,524 | $162,945 |
| Physics | Bachelor's | 11 | $89,506 | $19,500 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's | 9 | $79,592 | $20,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's | 19 | $70,412 | $21,500 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's | 24 | $63,407 | $20,915 |
| Economics | Bachelor's | 40 | $63,255 | $19,500 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's | 23 | $59,337 | $25,343 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's | 28 | $54,657 | $21,750 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's | 17 | $50,060 | $20,250 |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's | 30 | $45,197 | $23,000 |
| Design and Applied Arts | Bachelor's | - | $44,870 | - |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's | 16 | $32,256 | - |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's | 14 | - | $21,511 |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
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Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Willamette University? ▼
Willamette University is a private nonprofit institution in Salem, Oregon. The acceptance rate is 77.1%. The average SAT score is 1,377. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,592 students.
How much do Willamette University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Willamette University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $56,911 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $38,932.
How much does Willamette University cost? ▼
The average net price at Willamette University is $25,121. In-state tuition is $51,156 and out-of-state tuition is $51,156. Median student debt at graduation is $21,500.
What is the graduation rate at Willamette University? ▼
Willamette University has a 72.0% 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 86.5%.
Is Willamette University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Willamette University is $21,500, while former students earn a median of $56,911 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 38% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 83.6% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $228.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. 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 Willamette University
- Compare Willamette University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Oregon side by side.Browse Oregon
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
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. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure 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.