College Scorecard
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $21,512. College Scorecard.
Higher than 70% of Kansas colleges we cover and 48% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 37% of Kansas colleges we cover and 40% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Washburn University acceptance rate & admissions
Test scores: College Scorecard. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Washburn University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Kansas 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 Washburn University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Washburn University took 4.5 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 Kansas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,310 | $91,192 | 5.9 years |
| $30–48k | $9,693 | $43,522 | 2.8 years |
| $48–75k | $10,758 | $48,303 | 3.1 years |
| $75–110k | $13,922 | $62,510 | 4.0 years |
| $110k+ | $15,472 | $69,469 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (25% 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 ($49,774) minus $34,216 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KS (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $15,558 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.
Washburn University majors, earnings & careers
Washburn University offers 49 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 10
- Humanities & Languages · 9
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Science & Math · 6
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Engineering · 1
Highest-earning majors at Washburn University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering-Related Fields | $80,436 | — |
| Nursing | $79,109 | $25,250 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $78,778 | — |
| Finance | $76,175 | $21,136 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $75,787 | $25,000 |
| Business Administration | $68,154 | $22,748 |
| Accounting | $66,900 | $20,853 |
| Health Administration | $66,325 | $26,500 |
Quick list of all 49 majors
- Accounting$66,900
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$75,787
- Anthropology—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$57,551
- Business—
- Business Administration$68,154
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry—
- Communications$46,497
- Computer and Information Sciences$78,778
- Computer Systems Analysis—
- Criminal Justice$53,587
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$43,351
- Education (Subject Teaching)$47,948
- Engineering-Related Fields$80,436
- English$32,760
- Entrepreneurship—
- Finance$76,175
- German—
- Health Administration$66,325
- History—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International Business—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$57,079
- Legal Support Services—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$65,379
- Mathematics—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions$48,327
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Nursing$79,109
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$49,251
- Public Administration—
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security$44,534
- Social Work$50,122
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art$29,659
- Theatre—
— 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 →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Topeka
Overall prices in the Topeka, KS area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,172. Housing costs 35% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 38 inches of rain a year, 17 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Shawnee County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Shawnee County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Washburn University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Kansas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn University | — | $15,280 | 53% | $49,774 | This school |
| Pittsburg State University | 89% | $15,784 | 57% | $50,579 | |
| Emporia State University | 98% | $16,261 | 56% | $47,601 | |
| Fort Hays State University | 90% | $12,569 | 48% | $48,928 | |
| Wichita State University | 94% | $13,194 | 51% | $51,532 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Washburn University would cost you $504 less per year than Pittsburg State University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Washburn University, mostly from a lower estimate for personal & travel costs (−$2,916).
- Pittsburg State University gives aided families $83 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Kansas resident | Washburn University | Pittsburg State University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $9,945 | $8,400 | +$1,545 |
| Books & supplies | $970 | $1,200 | −$230 |
| Housing & meals | $10,759 | $9,398 | +$1,361 |
| Personal & travel | $2,480 | $5,396 | −$2,916 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,642 | −$2,295 | −$347 |
| Sticker price | $21,512 | $22,099 | −$587 |
| Average grants | −$6,232 | −$6,315 | +$83 |
| You pay | $15,280 | $15,784 | −$504 |
“+” means Washburn University 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 Washburn University
How much does Washburn University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $21,512 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $15,280 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $20,310 and families earning $110k+ pay $15,472.
How much do Washburn University graduates earn?
Former Washburn University students earn a median $49,774 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Washburn University graduation rate?
53% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 68% return for their second year.
How long does a Washburn University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Washburn University costs about $48,303 after grants ($10,758 a year for 4.5 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $49,774 ten years after starting, $15,558 more than high school graduates in Kansas ($34,216), so the cost is repaid in 3.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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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: “Washburn University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/washburn-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).