Washburn University
Public College in Topeka, KS. Six-year graduation rate 51%. Median 10-year earnings $49,774.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $49,774 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. The six-year graduation rate is 51%, meaning about one in two students who start do not finish. Median debt at graduation is $18,127, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 0.9 — limited economic uplift documented
Academics
Completion is middling: 51% finish inside six years. 68% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. A 26% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Retention drops to 30% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 4,093 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $11,488 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $20,310 at $0–30k against $15,472 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 82% get grants averaging $9,212, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 37% 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.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 882 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 | $20,310 |
| $30–48k | $9,693 |
| $48–75k | $10,758 |
| $75–110k | $13,922 |
| $110k+ | $15,472 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,527 of these 4,093 students, totalling $10,177,329 — an average of $6,665 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Shawnee County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)