More selective than 5% of Oregon colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $25,062. College Scorecard.
Higher than 17% of Oregon colleges we cover and 36% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 20% of Oregon colleges we cover and 45% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Western Oregon University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 2,898 applicants, Western Oregon University admitted 2,860 and 649 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Western Oregon University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Oregon 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 Western Oregon University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Western Oregon 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 Oregon. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $15,575 | $68,219 | 4.5 years |
| $30–48k | $14,585 | $63,882 | 4.2 years |
| $48–75k | $16,151 | $70,741 | 4.6 years |
| $75–110k | $17,974 | $78,726 | 5.2 years |
| $110k+ | $20,243 | $88,664 | 5.8 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (31% 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 ($51,815) minus $36,549 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OR (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $15,266 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.
Western Oregon University majors, earnings & careers
Western Oregon University offers 50 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
- Education · 8
- Arts & Design · 6
- Science & Math · 6
- Business & Finance · 4
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at Western Oregon University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $90,324 | $26,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $60,363 | $24,000 |
| Business | $59,599 | $24,500 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $54,761 | $25,458 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $54,540 | $24,500 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $53,550 | $27,000 |
| Public Health | $52,452 | $21,691 |
| Psychology | $52,407 | $23,448 |
Quick list of all 50 majors
- Accounting—
- American Sign Language$48,295
- Anthropology—
- Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$45,268
- Business$59,599
- Chemistry—
- Communications$49,630
- Computer and Information Sciences$90,324
- Criminal Justice$60,363
- Curriculum and Instruction—
- Dance—
- Economics—
- Education$46,042
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$54,761
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Educational / Instructional Media Design—
- English—
- Fire Protection—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Gerontology—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- History—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Information Science / Studies—
- International / Global Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$54,540
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems—
- Mathematics—
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$53,550
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$52,407
- Public Health$52,452
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Social Sciences$51,921
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Studio Art$30,437
- Sustainability Studies—
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
- Theatre$31,048
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— 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 → 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
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 Salem
Overall prices in the Salem, OR area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,692. Housing costs 10% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 42 inches of rain a year, 10 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Polk County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Polk County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Western Oregon University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Oregon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Oregon University | 98% | $17,237 | 47% | $51,815 | This school |
| Oregon Institute of Technology | 95% | $15,706 | 54% | $72,273 | |
| Eastern Oregon University | 98% | $17,148 | 43% | $50,112 | |
| Southern Oregon University | 89% | $16,732 | 43% | $49,175 | |
| Oregon State University-Cascades Campus | 63% | $18,048 | 56% | $64,010 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Western Oregon University would cost you $1,531 more per year than Oregon Institute of Technology, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Western Oregon University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$1,381).
- Oregon Institute of Technology gives aided families $3,993 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Oregon resident | Western Oregon University | OIT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $11,879 | $13,260 | −$1,381 |
| Books & supplies | $1,125 | $1,000 | +$125 |
| Housing & meals | $11,610 | $11,604 | +$6 |
| Personal & travel | $2,646 | $3,632 | −$986 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,198 | −$1,972 | −$226 |
| Sticker price | $25,062 | $27,524 | −$2,462 |
| Average grants | −$7,825 | −$11,818 | +$3,993 |
| You pay | $17,237 | $15,706 | +$1,531 |
“+” means Western Oregon 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 Western Oregon University
What is the Western Oregon University acceptance rate?
Western Oregon University accepts 98% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,860 of 2,898 applicants were admitted.
How much does Western Oregon University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $25,062 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $17,237 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $15,575 and families earning $110k+ pay $20,243.
How much do Western Oregon University graduates earn?
Former Western Oregon University students earn a median $51,815 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Western Oregon University graduation rate?
47% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 73% return for their second year.
How long does a Western Oregon University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Western Oregon University costs about $70,741 after grants ($16,151 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $51,815 ten years after starting, $15,266 more than high school graduates in Oregon ($36,549), so the cost is repaid in 4.6 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is Western Oregon University the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing Western Oregon University 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: “Western Oregon University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-oregon-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).