-21%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment fell 21% at Western Connecticut State University vs the 2018–2022 baseline (3.4k vs 4.4k).
Connecticut · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Western Connecticut State University
Danbury, Connecticut. 3,434 undergraduate students. 71 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Western Connecticut State University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Western Connecticut State University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (2.7% → 0.0%).
+14%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Western Connecticut State University rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($11.8k → $13.4k).
-13%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at Western Connecticut State University fell 13% between 2021 and 2024 (4.0k → 3.5k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Connecticut
Each tile compares this institution to the Connecticut median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$59,115+29% · 6→10y
Connecticut median $57,515$45,997
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry50.2%+24% · '97→'24
Connecticut median 70.2%$17,002+369% · '97→'20
At program completion3,434-3% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS70.0%+2% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time81.4%+27% · '01→'24
latest cohort$12,763+243% · '00→'24
out-of-state $16,095SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.8%Median federal debt $17,002 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $59,115 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+24%
Western Connecticut State University · completion · 150% rose
41.8% → 51.8%
+243%
Western Connecticut State University · in-state tuition rose
$3,910 → $13,401
+75%
Western Connecticut State University · out-of-state tuition rose
$9,663 → $16,901
+369%
Western Connecticut State University · median debt rose
$5,150 → $24,147
-100%
Western Connecticut State University · cohort default rate fell
9.4% → 0.0%
+116%
Western Connecticut State University · pell share rose
16.3% → 35.1%
+27%
Western Connecticut State University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$46,600 → $59,115
+29%
Western Connecticut State University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$41,200 → $53,163
+22%
Western Connecticut State University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$37,700 → $45,997
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$93,863Management Information Systems and Services.$80,013Accounting and Related Services.$78,301Finance and Financial Management Services.$76,891Education, General.$69,764Student Counseling and Personnel Services.$67,920Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods.$67,757Marketing.$60,705Criminal Justice and Corrections.$57,122Social Work.$56,137Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions.$51,863Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$51,330Biology, General.$51,225History.$50,253Radio, Television, and Digital Communication.$50,247Psychology, General.$48,890Communication and Media Studies.$48,487Leisure and Recreational Activities.$41,810Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies.$36,844Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft.$28,374
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
20 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
LEISURE & RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES · CIP 36
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Western Connecticut State University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$228,164
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 15
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $16,697
- HS-only baseline · CT
- $42,300
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 43
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Connecticut
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Western Connecticut State University graduates earn $X” — not “Western Connecticut State University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Western Connecticut State University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.