More selective than 41% 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 $27,648. College Scorecard.
Higher than 76% of Washington colleges we cover and 63% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 86% of Washington colleges we cover and 84% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Washington State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 26,166 applicants, Washington State University admitted 22,335 and 4,249 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Washington State University 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 Washington State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Washington State 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 | $7,074 | $30,913 | 1.1 years |
| $30–48k | $8,971 | $39,203 | 1.4 years |
| $48–75k | $11,519 | $50,338 | 1.8 years |
| $75–110k | $18,426 | $80,522 | 2.8 years |
| $110k+ | $24,726 | $108,053 | 3.8 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (43% 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 ($68,905) minus $40,219 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in WA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $28,686 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.
Washington State University majors, earnings & careers
Washington State University offers 89 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 25
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Business & Finance · 11
- Engineering · 11
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Arts & Design · 4
- Communications & Media · 4
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Education · 2
Highest-earning majors at Washington State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $119,686 | $22,453 |
| Computer Engineering | $114,635 | $21,750 |
| Construction Management | $107,531 | — |
| Electrical Engineering | $104,354 | $21,030 |
| Chemical Engineering | $99,506 | $22,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $93,971 | $21,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $91,879 | $22,450 |
| Nursing | $91,495 | $21,500 |
Quick list of all 89 majors
- Accounting$75,980
- Agricultural and Food Products Processing—
- Agricultural Business—
- Agricultural Production Operations$69,708
- Agriculture—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$58,688
- Animal Sciences$41,634
- Anthropology$42,888
- Apparel and Textiles$52,765
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services—
- Applied Mathematics$70,085
- Architectural Sciences and Technology—
- Architecture—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biochemistry—
- Biological and Physical Sciences$68,583
- Biology$60,418
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$57,956
- Business Administration$81,321
- Chemical Engineering$99,506
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$91,879
- Communications$62,406
- Computational Science—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering$114,635
- Computer Science$119,686
- Construction Engineering Technology / Technician—
- Construction Management$107,531
- Criminal Justice$62,747
- Criminology—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$70,215
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$61,304
- Education (Subject Teaching)$62,126
- Electrical Engineering$104,354
- English$50,745
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$56,880
- Finance$86,012
- Food Science and Technology$68,719
- Forestry—
- Genetics—
- Geology / Earth Science$45,002
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$69,224
- History$58,415
- Hospitality Management$66,874
- Human Biology—
- Human Development and Family Studies$58,834
- Information Technology—
- International Business$77,598
- International Relations—
- Journalism$58,795
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$60,950
- Landscape Architecture—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$55,403
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems$85,967
- Marketing$76,595
- Materials Engineering$86,145
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$93,971
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$76,384
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$41,181
- Neuroscience$55,687
- Nursing$91,495
- Philosophy—
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Physiology$43,876
- Plant Sciences—
- Political Science$67,264
- Psychology$56,681
- Public Policy Analysis$63,631
- Public Relations and Advertising$67,647
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences$61,617
- Sociology$57,846
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$63,052
- Studio Art—
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management—
- Zoology / Animal Biology$41,888
— 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
Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Pullman
2 bedrooms $1,269.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 20 inches of rain a year, 33 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Whitman County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Whitman County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Washington State University 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State University | 87% | $14,971 | 61% | $68,905 | This school |
| Western Washington University | 93% | $21,193 | 65% | $62,569 | |
| Central Washington University | 91% | $18,476 | 54% | $61,580 | |
| University of Washington-Bothell Campus | 91% | $12,319 | 65% | $78,466 | |
| University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | 83% | $10,163 | 63% | $78,466 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Washington State University would cost you $6,222 less per year than Western Washington University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Washington State University, mostly from more Washington State University students living at home, which lowers its average (−$3,374).
- Washington State University gives aided families $3,511 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Washington resident | Washington State University | Western Washington University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,391 | $9,582 | +$3,809 |
| Books & supplies | $762 | $1,176 | −$414 |
| Housing & meals | $13,131 | $14,915 | −$1,784 |
| Personal & travel | $3,642 | $4,590 | −$948 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,278 | +$96 | −$3,374 |
| Sticker price | $27,648 | $30,359 | −$2,711 |
| Average grants | −$12,677 | −$9,166 | −$3,511 |
| You pay | $14,971 | $21,193 | −$6,222 |
“+” means Washington State 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 Washington State University
What is the Washington State University acceptance rate?
Washington State University accepts 87% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 22,335 of 26,166 applicants were admitted.
How much does Washington State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $27,648 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $14,971 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,074 and families earning $110k+ pay $24,726.
How much do Washington State University graduates earn?
Former Washington State University students earn a median $68,905 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Washington State University graduation rate?
61% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 78% return for their second year.
How long does a Washington State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Washington State University costs about $50,338 after grants ($11,519 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $68,905 ten years after starting, $28,686 more than high school graduates in Washington ($40,219), so the cost is repaid in 1.8 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: “Washington State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/washington-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).