undergradly.
Public College

University of
Washington-Tacoma Campus

Public College in Tacoma, WA. Six-year graduation rate 63%. Median 10-year earnings $78,466.

Verdict High-return
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$78,466
Median debt at grad
$14,615
Graduation rate
63.2%
Federal loan default
0%

Students who entered University of Washington-Tacoma Campus reach a median of $78,466 ten years later, which puts this school in the upper band of undergraduate earnings outcomes. Six-year completion sits at 63%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates leave owing a median of $14,615 — modest by four-year standards.

Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.

Green Flags
  • Debt-to-income ratio 0.19 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Admissions

Acceptance rate
83%
Applicants
4,068
Yield rate
21.5%

University of Washington-Tacoma Campus accepts 83% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. 4,068 applications came in, enough to make the rates below reasonably stable year to year. 22% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction.

Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)

These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.

Test 25th–75th percentile Submitted
SAT Evidence-Based Reading
SAT Math
ACT Composite

IPEDS Admissions · 2024

Apply at University of Washington-Tacoma Campus →

Academics

Full-time retention
80%
Transfer-out rate
0%
Student:faculty
15:1

63% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 80% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. The part-time picture is harder: 64% return, against 80% full-time. A 15:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$13,898
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
67%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
27%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,989 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

At $13,898 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $4,458 while those at $110k+ pay $22,183. 67% of students receive grant aid, averaging $15,748 — common but not automatic. About 27% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.

Entering first-year students

A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.

% receiving grants
86%
Average grant
$12,161

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 619 students

Net price by family income

The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.

Family income band Average net price
$0–30k $4,458
$30–48k $6,135
$48–75k $6,748
$75–110k $11,449
$110k+ $22,183

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 1,096 of these 3,989 students, totalling $6,650,619 — an average of $6,068 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (Pierce County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$1,428/mo
1 bedroom
$1,605/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$1,971/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
797
Yellow Ribbon
No
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare University of Washington-Tacoma Campus with peer institutions

How we evaluate University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →