$68,905
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Washington State University is a public 4-year college in Pullman, Washington with 21,099 undergraduates and 4,230 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $14,971 a year (tuition and fees $13,391 in-state, $29,950 out-of-state). It admits 87% of applicants and 61% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $68,905 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $19,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,971
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$13,391
Out-of-state $29,950
Admission rate
87%
US median 78%
Completion rate
61%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$19,500
About $207 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$68,905
Rank 400 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,971
- Tuition in-state
- $13,391
- Tuition out-of-state
- $29,950
- Cost of attendance
- $27,648
- Students with a need-based grant
- 27%
- Students with federal loans
- 30%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $7,074
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $8,971
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $11,519
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $18,426
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $24,726
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $11,967 in 2015-16 to $13,391 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 87%
- Undergraduates
- 21,099
- Graduate students
- 4,230
- Part-time students
- 10%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 15
- Completion rate
- 61%
- Retention rate
- 78%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 310
- Endowment
- $1.4B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 400 of 5,094 US colleges and 9 of 87 in Washington (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | WA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,971 | $14,091 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,391 | $8,256 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 87% | 83% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 61% | 50% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 78% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $19,500 | $13,653 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $53,510 | $42,696 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $68,905 | $47,869 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 72% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 79% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
310 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 513 | $19,515 | $36,216 | $56,681 | $50,706 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 494 | $53,547 | $125,114 | $144,028 | $103,485 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 351 | $13,476 | $83,894 | $91,495 | $88,910 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 322 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 262 | $19,112 | $45,820 | $67,647 | $63,560 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 243 | $18,647 | $36,290 | $60,418 | $57,214 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 233 | $21,551 | $43,069 | $61,617 | $53,366 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 230 | $19,500 | $47,051 | $76,595 | $69,303 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 221 | $18,836 | $72,690 | $93,971 | $92,135 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 218 | $20,819 | $46,998 | $61,304 | $47,382 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 216 | $19,443 | $52,636 | $81,321 | $68,257 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 200 | $19,500 | $56,947 | $86,012 | $83,343 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 193 | $20,000 | $79,519 | $119,686 | $107,009 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 182 | $21,500 | $57,618 | $75,980 | $76,194 |
| CriminologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 177 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Hospitality Administration/ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 145 | $23,207 | $41,251 | $66,874 | $56,726 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 136 | $20,780 | Withheld | $43,876 | $62,172 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 135 | $22,978 | $39,880 | $58,834 | $48,568 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 130 | $20,433 | $33,178 | $45,002 | $60,190 |
| Veterinary MedicineProfessional | Professional | 128 | $108,355 | $105,558 | $133,556 | $131,316 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 124 | $19,365 | $32,416 | $57,956 | $50,497 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationProfessional | Professional | 119 | $137,435 | $117,376 | $143,072 | $138,348 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 116 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 104 | $18,000 | $31,911 | $41,634 | $49,634 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 94 | $18,750 | $28,876 | $50,745 | $48,590 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Washington on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Washington
- Homes: Homes for sale in Washington
Questions and answers
How much does Washington State University cost?
$14,971 a year is the average net price at Washington State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,391 for in-state students and $29,950 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $27,648. Families earning under $30,000 pay $7,074 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Washington State University?
87% of applicants are admitted to Washington State University. The median admission rate of colleges in Washington is 83%.
How much do Washington State University graduates earn?
$68,905 a year is the median pay of former Washington State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($53,510 after 6 years). That ranks 400 of 5,094 US colleges and 9 of 87 in Washington. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Engineering-Related Fields (Master's) at $127,541.
How much student debt do Washington State University graduates have?
$19,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Washington State University graduates, about $207 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 30% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Washington State University?
61% of first-time, full-time students at Washington State University finish within 6 years. 78% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Washington State University?
Psychology, General (513 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (494 master's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (351 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 310 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.