Western Washington University

Overview

Rankings

• #2 Best Education Colleges in Washington
• #3 Best Colleges in Washington
• #3 Best Bachelor's Programs in Washington
• #3 Best Master's Programs in Washington
• #3 Best Communications Colleges in Washington
• #4 Best MBA Programs in Washington
• #6 Best Computer Science Colleges in Washington
• #6 Best Business Colleges in Washington

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Western Washington University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a public institution in Bellingham, Washington, Western Washington University admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 93%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,289. The graduation rate is roughly 65%.

Acceptance Rate

93%

Retention Rate

79%

SAT Average

1289

ACT Midpoint

26

SAT Range

1150–1390

ACT Range

24–31

Full-Time Faculty

71%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$11,802

Student–Faculty Ratio

17:1

Diversity Index

0.50

First-Gen Students

27%

Applicants

11,864

Admitted

10,997

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2025-26

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Western Washington University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 23% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

23%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

9%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

2%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Western Washington University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Western Washington University is $28,707, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $21,193. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $12,915 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $18,500 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$9,582

Out-of-State

$28,707

Avg Net Price

$21,193

Median Debt

$18,500

Pell Grant Rate

21%

Federal Loan Rate

29%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Western Washington University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Western Washington University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Western Washington University earn a median of $62,569, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$45,272

8 Years

$53,473

10 Years

$62,569

Debt-to-Earnings

0.3x

Earning > $25K

65%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Western Washington University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Western Washington University is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.13%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 3.4% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 33.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $108,100, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.13%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

33.5%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

3.4%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$146,870

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Western Washington University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Western Washington University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.74, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 12% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.74

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.01

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

12.0%

Support Ratio

0.98

Community support

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Western Washington University produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 218 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate

0.67%

Top 35% nationally

Patents Produced

218

Linked to graduates

Patent Citations

454

Downstream influence

Inventors From Low-Income

1.06%

Bottom-20% families

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants

$7,787,797

Investment Income

$-889,720

Top Programs

The fields Western Washington University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Business & Marketing 10% $68,105 early-career
• Social Sciences 10% $46,594 early-career
• Psychology 8% $35,400 early-career
• Education 7% $54,450 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 6% $54,760 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 5% $41,027 early-career
• Health Professions 5% $90,849 early-career
• Communications 5% $41,755 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.