Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA · Public · Graduate degree-granting

A public institution in Bellingham, Washington, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Western Washington University serves students across multiple degree programs. With 13,544 students, it is a mid-size institution. Graduates earn a median of $62,569 ten years after enrollment, which is 54% above the national median of $40,747. The graduation rate is 65.1%. On the financial side, median graduate debt is $18,500, yielding an earnings-to-debt ratio of 3.38x. The average net price after financial aid is $21,193 per year. The most popular programs include Psychology, Natural Resources Conservation, Computer & Information Sciences, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other, and Rhetoric & Composition.

Key Outcomes

Median Earnings (10yr)

$62,569

Graduation Rate

65.1%

Median Debt

$18,500

Average Net Price

$21,193

Earnings-to-Cost Ratio

0.74x

Earnings-to-Debt Ratio

3.38x

Admissions & Enrollment

Total Enrollment

13,544

Admission Rate

93.3%

Average SAT

1289

Retention Rate

79.4%

Cost

In-State Tuition

$9,582

Out-of-State Tuition

$28,707

Pell Grant Rate

20.9%

Federal Loan Rate

29.2%

Net Cost by Family Income

Income $0–$30K

$12,915

Income $30K–$48K

$14,147

Income $48K–$75K

$17,539

Income $110K+

$27,984

Student Demographics

Women

60.0%

White

69.1%

Black

2.0%

Hispanic

11.3%

Asian

5.9%

Two or More Races

8.5%

Student Loan Performance

Repayment Rate (3yr)

74.3%

Accreditations

American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation — Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs (Accredited)
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology — Audiology (AUD) - Graduate degree programs, Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs, Clinical doctoral program in Audiology (Accredited)
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education — Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels (Accredited)
Commission on English Language Program Accreditation — English Language (Accredited)
Council on Education for Public Health — Public Health Programs (PHPB) — Baccalaureate only level programs offered outside a school of public health (Accredited)
National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation — (ARTI) - Single Professional Program Accreditation in Industrial Design (Accredited)
National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation — Music (MUS) (Accredited)
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education — Teacher Education (TED) - Baccalaureate and graduate programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional personnel for elementary and secondary schools (Accredited)
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities — Institutional Accreditation (Accredited)

Programs (103)

Bachelor (70)

Program	Median Earnings	Completers
Psychology	$53,224	240
Natural Resources Conservation	$53,781	207
Computer & Information Sciences	$110,138	128
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	$43,919	128
Rhetoric & Composition	$38,460	115
Marketing	$69,323	115
Sociology	$54,263	106
Special Education	$64,780	102
Business Administration & Management	$71,886	99
Public Administration	$53,788	94
Political Science	$49,640	90
History	$46,000	87
Communications	$56,415	86
English Language & Literature	$46,571	84
Health Services Administration & Management	$53,428	77
Fine Arts	$35,161	67
Secondary Education	$63,072	61
Interdisciplinary Studies	$54,290	58
Design & Applied Arts	$69,715	57
Accounting	$82,246	54
Anthropology	$50,703	49
Journalism	$57,697	48
Economics	$64,123	48
Biology	$50,027	47
Neuroscience	$51,508	47
Drama & Theater Arts	$40,616	47
Finance	$75,730	47
Chemistry	$55,793	44
Teacher Education	$62,500	43
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies	$50,832	43
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	$77,048	41
Geological Sciences	$67,208	41
Management Information Systems	$81,678	41
Electrical and Computer Engineering	Not reported	40
Romance Languages	$65,380	40
Sports & Fitness	$50,079	40
Cell Biology	$58,622	39
Communication Disorders	$61,802	38
Linguistics	$44,615	33
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	Not reported	32
Sustainability Studies	$70,793	30
Music	$38,858	29
International Business	$63,923	27
Computer & Information Systems Security	Not reported	26
Manufacturing Engineering	$85,314	25
Public Health	Not reported	24
Polymer/Plastics Engineering	$92,439	21
Registered Nursing	$96,695	21
East Asian Languages	Not reported	20
Marine Sciences	Not reported	19
Archeology	$38,243	19
Ecology	Not reported	18
Cognitive Science	Not reported	18
Physics	$63,833	18
Ethnic & Gender Studies	Not reported	17
Mathematics	$54,234	16
Applied Mathematics	$68,359	16
Biological and Physical Sciences	Not reported	16
Geography and Environmental Studies	Not reported	16
Philosophy	Not reported	13
Natural Resources Management	Not reported	12
Statistics	Not reported	10
Area Studies	$40,623	9
Liberal Arts & Sciences	$38,163	8
Data Science	Not reported	7
Geography	Not reported	7
Dance	Not reported	6
Germanic Languages	Not reported	5
Clinical Psychology	Not reported	5
Electrical Engineering	$107,131	0

Master (22)

Program	Median Earnings	Completers
Teacher Education	$74,041	61
Business Administration & Management	$97,723	29
Natural Resources Conservation	Not reported	25
Computer & Information Sciences	Not reported	23
Educational Administration	$129,722	18
Communication Disorders	$80,873	17
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions	$73,371	13
Mathematics	Not reported	12
Chemistry	Not reported	12
Biology	Not reported	11
Geological Sciences	Not reported	9
English Language & Literature	Not reported	7
Rhetoric & Composition	Not reported	7
Student Counseling and Personnel Services	Not reported	6
Sports & Fitness	Not reported	6
Clinical Psychology	Not reported	6
Music	Not reported	6
Mental Health Services	Not reported	6
Anthropology	Not reported	4
Accounting	Not reported	4
History	Not reported	4
Secondary Education	$48,078	0

First Professional (1)

Program	Median Earnings	Completers
Communication Disorders	Not reported	5

Graduate Certificate (2)

Program	Median Earnings	Completers
Data Science	Not reported	7
Geography	Not reported	4

Undergraduate Certificate (5)

Program	Median Earnings	Completers
Geography	Not reported	18
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language	Not reported	10
Sustainability Studies	Not reported	6
Natural Resources Management	Not reported	3
Design & Applied Arts	Not reported	3

Show 3 additional programs with limited data

Program	Level	Completers
Computer & Information Sciences	Undergraduate Certificate	2
Computer & Information Systems Security	Undergraduate Certificate	2
Religion	Bachelor	2