+11%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Western Washington University rose 11% between 2021 and 2024 ($25.9k → $28.7k).
Washington · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington. 13,574 undergraduate students. 117 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Western Washington 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 Washington University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.5% → 0.0%).
+10%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Western Washington University rose 10% between 2021 and 2024 ($8.7k → $9.6k).
+21%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at Western Washington University rose 20% between 2006 and 2009 (29.4% → 35.5%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Washington
Each tile compares this institution to the Washington median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$62,569+38% · 6→10y
Washington median $47,350$45,272
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry65.5%+5% · '97→'24
Washington median 46.8%$13,500+109% · '97→'20
At program completion13,574+32% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS79.7%-4% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time91.3%+21% · '01→'24
latest cohort$9,286+209% · '00→'24
out-of-state $27,853SECTION 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
2.9%Median federal debt $13,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $62,569 (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.
+90%
Western Washington University · completion · 100% rose
18.6% → 35.5%
+32%
Western Washington University · undergrad enrollment rose
10,252 → 13,544
+209%
Western Washington University · in-state tuition rose
$3,102 → $9,582
+177%
Western Washington University · out-of-state tuition rose
$10,356 → $28,707
+109%
Western Washington University · median debt rose
$8,835 → $18,500
-100%
Western Washington University · cohort default rate fell
2.7% → 0.0%
+34%
Western Washington University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$46,700 → $62,569
+29%
Western Washington University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$41,400 → $53,473
+26%
Western Washington University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$36,000 → $45,272
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.
Computer and Information Sciences, General.$129,264Business Administration, Management and Operations.$115,330Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$98,502Management Information Systems and Services.$87,563Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians.$85,042Business Administration, Management and Operations.$80,761Chemistry.$77,595Mathematics.$77,518Accounting and Related Services.$76,780Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.$75,526Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$75,072Finance and Financial Management Services.$75,026Economics.$74,441Marketing.$70,846Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$68,556Special Education and Teaching.$66,702Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$65,749International Business.$65,149Design and Applied Arts.$64,470Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.$61,869Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.$59,430Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences.$58,814Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences.$56,680Communication and Media Studies.$56,134
Showing top 24 of 49 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
49 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15
FOREIGN LANGUAGES · CIP 16
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS · CIP 27
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PHILOSOPHY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES · CIP 38
PHYSICAL SCIENCES · CIP 40
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
Business Administration, Management and Operations.$80,761Marketing.$70,846Accounting and Related Services.$76,780Management Information Systems and Services.$87,563Finance and Financial Management Services.$75,026International Business.$65,149Business Administration, Management and Operations.$115,330
HISTORY · CIP 54
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
AREA, ETHNIC & CULTURAL STUDIES · CIP 05
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Western Washington 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
$201,443
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 16
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $16,177
- HS-only baseline · WA
- $41,200
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 03
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 Washington
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Western Washington University graduates earn $X” — not “Western Washington University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Western Washington 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.