Western Washington University
Public College in Bellingham, WA. Six-year graduation rate 65%. Median 10-year earnings $62,569.
A decade after enrolling, the median Western Washington University student earns $62,569 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. Six-year completion sits at 65%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates carry a median of $18,500 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.30 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 93%, Western Washington University takes nearly everyone who applies. The applicant pool is large — 14,115 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. 23% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. Read the score bands below narrowly: only 9% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, and test-optional applicants are not represented in them.
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 | 590–710 | 257 (9%) |
| SAT Math | 560–680 | |
| ACT Composite | 24–31 | 71 (2%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Western Washington University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 65%, meaning about one in three students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 79% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Retention drops to 49% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. The student-faculty ratio is 18:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 13,574 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $24,338 annually once grants are applied. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $12,915 while those at $110k+ pay $27,984. About 59% get grants averaging $9,068, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 29% 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 · 3,112 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 | $12,915 |
| $30–48k | $14,147 |
| $48–75k | $17,539 |
| $75–110k | $24,301 |
| $110k+ | $27,984 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 4,003 of these 13,574 students, totalling $23,821,503 — an average of $5,951 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Whatcom 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)