Western Oregon University
Public College in Monmouth, OR. Six-year graduation rate 47%. Median 10-year earnings $51,815.
Students who entered Western Oregon University land at a median of $51,815 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. 47% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $20,609, neither a bargain nor a burden.
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
Admissions
Western Oregon University admits 98% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. 3,060 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. A 19% yield rate is low: the admitted pool is much larger than the entering class.
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 Western Oregon University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 47%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 73% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. The distance between those two figures is the part worth noticing — students return for a second year at a much higher rate than they graduate, so attrition here is spread across the middle years rather than concentrated in the first. Retention drops to 28% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 13:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,305 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $14,006 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price varies modestly by income — $15,575 at $0–30k against $20,243 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Most students get help: 90% receive grants worth $8,835 on average. Most students borrow — 75% take federal loans to cover the gap.
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 · 620 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 | $15,575 |
| $30–48k | $14,585 |
| $48–75k | $16,151 |
| $75–110k | $17,974 |
| $110k+ | $20,243 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,465 of these 3,305 students, totalling $11,330,526 — an average of $4,597 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Polk 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)