More selective than 18% of Washington colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $28,816. College Scorecard.
Higher than 69% of Washington colleges we cover and 49% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 73% of Washington colleges we cover and 73% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
CWU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 6,829 applicants, Central Washington University admitted 6,161 and 1,568 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
CWU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Washington residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What CWU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Central Washington University took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Washington. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $11,846 | $52,478 | 2.5 years |
| $30–48k | $13,942 | $61,763 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $16,022 | $70,977 | 3.3 years |
| $75–110k | $21,682 | $96,051 | 4.5 years |
| $110k+ | $26,719 | $118,365 | 5.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (32% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($61,580) minus $40,219 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in WA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $21,361 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
CWU majors, earnings & careers
Central Washington University offers 113 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 18
- Business & Finance · 17
- Science & Math · 17
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 17
- Health & Medicine · 10
- Engineering · 9
- Arts & Design · 8
- Technology & Computing · 6
- Education · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Trades & Applied Technology · 2
Highest-earning majors at CWU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies / Technicians | $97,869 | $25,833 |
| Construction Management | $97,651 | $26,999 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $97,263 | — |
| Computer Science | $95,368 | $19,467 |
| Economics | $88,799 | $15,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians | $84,871 | $22,380 |
| Chemistry | $75,905 | $24,607 |
| Air Transportation | $74,997 | $19,500 |
Quick list of all 113 majors
- Accounting$74,442
- Air Transportation$74,997
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$97,263
- Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services—
- American Sign Language—
- Anthropology$44,089
- Apparel and Textiles$65,815
- Applied Mathematics—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Behavioral Sciences—
- Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education—
- Biochemistry—
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other—
- Biology$56,154
- Botany / Plant Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$50,318
- Business—
- Business Administration$73,036
- Business Economics—
- Business Operations Support and Assistant Services—
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
- Chemistry$75,905
- Communications$56,862
- Computer and Information Sciences$72,838
- Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Computer Science$95,368
- Construction Engineering Technology / Technician—
- Construction Management$97,651
- Criminal Justice$60,761
- Culinary Arts and Related Services—
- Dance—
- Data Analytics—
- Data Science—
- Dietetics—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$88,799
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$59,659
- Education (Subject Teaching)$61,604
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Energy Systems Technologies / Technicians—
- Engineering Physics—
- English$43,101
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$50,776
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences, Other—
- Film and Photography$45,152
- Finance—
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations—
- Geography$53,081
- Geology / Earth Science$53,987
- German—
- Gerontology—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- History$45,990
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Development and Family Studies$54,858
- Human Resources—
- Human Services$54,318
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- Information Technology—
- Insurance—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$47,979
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering—
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians$84,871
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Museology / Museum Studies—
- Music$51,008
- Natural Sciences—
- Nutrition Science$56,735
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$43,480
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies—
- Philosophy—
- Philosophy and Religious Studies—
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Physiology$60,299
- Political Science$64,361
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$54,530
- Public Health$62,435
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Public Relations and Advertising$66,538
- Quality Control and Safety Technologies / Technicians$97,869
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences$58,680
- Sociology$63,608
- Software and Media Applications—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art$40,251
- Theatre$33,800
- Visual and Performing Arts—
- Writing$41,971
- Zoology / Animal Biology—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Computer and Information Sciences → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Ellensburg
2 bedrooms $1,655.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 11 inches of rain a year, 20 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: wildfire (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Kittitas County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Kittitas County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare CWU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Washington by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Washington University | 91% | $18,476 | 54% | $61,580 | This school |
| Eastern Washington University | 91% | $13,886 | 43% | $57,897 | |
| University of Washington-Bothell Campus | 91% | $12,319 | 65% | $78,466 | |
| University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | 83% | $10,163 | 63% | $78,466 | |
| Western Washington University | 93% | $21,193 | 65% | $62,569 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Central Washington University would cost you $4,590 more per year than Eastern Washington University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Central Washington University, mostly from more Eastern Washington University students living at home, which lowers its average (+$1,806).
- Eastern Washington University gives aided families $252 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Washington resident | CWU | EWU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $9,417 | $8,586 | +$831 |
| Books & supplies | $900 | $798 | +$102 |
| Housing & meals | $16,314 | $14,880 | +$1,434 |
| Personal & travel | $4,032 | $3,867 | +$165 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,847 | −$3,653 | +$1,806 |
| Sticker price | $28,816 | $24,478 | +$4,338 |
| Average grants | −$10,340 | −$10,592 | +$252 |
| You pay | $18,476 | $13,886 | +$4,590 |
“+” means CWU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about CWU
What is the CWU acceptance rate?
Central Washington University accepts 91% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 6,161 of 6,829 applicants were admitted.
How much does Central Washington University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,816 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $18,476 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,846 and families earning $110k+ pay $26,719.
How much do CWU graduates earn?
Former Central Washington University students earn a median $61,580 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the CWU graduation rate?
54% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 70% return for their second year.
How long does a CWU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Central Washington University costs about $70,977 after grants ($16,022 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $61,580 ten years after starting, $21,361 more than high school graduates in Washington ($40,219), so the cost is repaid in 3.3 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is CWU the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing CWU with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Central Washington University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/central-washington-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).