Regional university
#25 Best colleges for NCAA Division II athletes in AmericaWestern Washington University
Bellingham, WA · Public · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $21,193 a year
Median debt at graduation: $18,500 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In America
- Best colleges for NCAA Division II athletes in America#25 of 292
- Best colleges for criminal justice in America#136 of 1,046
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in America#121 of 684
- Best colleges for exercise science and kinesiology in America#172 of 950
- Best colleges for accounting in America#224 of 1,132
- Best colleges for nursing in America#212 of 1,068
Show 7 more
- Best colleges for business in America#337 of 1,563
- Best value colleges in America#147 of 674
- Best colleges for marketing in America#182 of 834
- Best colleges for education in America#289 of 1,318
- Best colleges for communications and journalism in America#284 of 1,238
- Best colleges for finance in America#184 of 744
- Best colleges for psychology in America#352 of 1,418
In Washington
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in Washington#3 of 13
- Best colleges for accounting in Washington#4 of 15
- Best colleges for criminal justice in Washington#4 of 14
- Best colleges for marketing in Washington#3 of 10
- Best value colleges in Washington#4 of 13
- Best value colleges in the West in Washington#4 of 13
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.65%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.79%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,289 · ACT 27.5
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.18 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$13,138
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $30,359 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 13,704 |
|---|---|
| Men and women Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard) | Men 43% · Women 57% |
| First-generation students Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition | 27% |
| First-year students from another state Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS) | 17% |
| Total students | 14,651 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $21,193 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $30,359 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $18,500 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 65% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard) | 65% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard) | 63% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard) | 74% |
| First-year retention | 79% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $62,569 |
| Admission rate | 93% |
| Application fee Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS) | $70 |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 21% |
| Average SAT | 1289 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 590–710 |
| SAT math | 560–680 |
| ACT composite | 24–31 |
| Test policy | Considered but not required |
Value: Very good · Top 26% (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Computing and information science | |
| Electrical engineering | |
| Nursing | |
| Polymer/Plastics Engineering | |
| Manufacturing Engineering | |
| Accounting | |
| Management information systems | |
| Biochemistry | |
| Finance | |
| Business administration | |
| Sustainability Studies | |
| Design | |
| Marketing | |
| Applied mathematics | |
| Geology and earth science | |
| Romance languages | |
| Special education | |
| Economics | |
| International business | |
| Physics | |
| Secondary education | |
| Teacher education | |
| Speech-language pathology | |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | |
| Journalism | |
| Communication studies | |
| Chemistry | |
| General studies | |
| Sociology | |
| Mathematics | |
| Human services | |
| Natural resources and conservation | |
| Pre-health | |
| Psychology | |
| Neuroscience | |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | |
| Anthropology | |
| Kinesiology and exercise science | |
| Biology | |
| Political science | |
| English | |
| History | |
| Linguistics | |
| Interdisciplinary studies | |
| Area studies | |
| Theatre | |
| Music | |
| Writing and rhetoric | |
| Archeology | |
| Liberal arts | |
| Fine arts |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Accounting and Computer Science, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Biological and physical sciences, Botany/Plant Biology, Business (general), City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning, Classics, Community Organization and Advocacy, Counseling and mental health, Criminology, Dance, Data Science, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Electrical engineering technology, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Ethnic and gender studies, Experimental psychology, Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, Family and human development, Film and video, Geography, Geography and Environmental Studies, German, Human resources, Industrial technology, Information technology, Management science, Marine Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, Mechanical engineering technology, Other biological and biomedical sciences, Other business, management, marketing, and related support services, Other foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics, Other social sciences, Philosophy, Public Policy Analysis, Public health, Religious studies, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Social sciences, Statistics, Urban Studies/Affairs, Visual and performing arts, Zoology/Animal Biology.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Business | |
| Social sciences | |
| Interdisciplinary studies | |
| Psychology | |
| Education |
Campus life
| School colors | |
|---|---|
| Setting | City |
| Part-time undergraduates | 9% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 7% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $15,747 |
| Sports | NCAA Division II · Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 18 to 1 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 71%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard) |
| Endowment per student | $8,427Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS) |
| Dorm space | For about 31% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS) |
| Nearest airport with scheduled flights | Bellingham International Airport (BLI)About 4 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports) |
| Town population | 93,4382020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau) |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | SeattleAbout 78 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau) |
| Average temperature in January | 41°F1991–2020 normal, from BELLINGHAM 3 SSW, WA US, about 2 miles away (NOAA) |
| Average temperature in July | 64°F1991–2020 normal, from BELLINGHAM 3 SSW, WA US, about 2 miles away (NOAA) |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 0.05 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 0.09 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 0.17 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is Western Washington University’s Compass Score?
- Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 25% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Western Washington University cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $21,193 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Western Washington University?
- Western Washington University admitted 93% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Western Washington University’s graduates do?
- 65% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $62,569; the median federal debt at graduation is $18,500.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 237011
- Carnegie classification: Master's university (larger programs)
- Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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Colleges like this one
The same kind of school first, then the closest in selectivity, size and cost.
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