Western Connecticut State University
Danbury, Connecticut · Also known as Western, WCSU · Website
$59,115
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$59,115
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Western Connecticut State University is a public 4-year college in Danbury, Connecticut with 3,511 undergraduates and 602 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $17,604 a year (tuition and fees $13,401 in-state, $16,901 out-of-state). It admits 87% of applicants and 52% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $59,115 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $24,147 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$17,604
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$13,401
Out-of-state $16,901
Admission rate
87%
US median 78%
Completion rate
52%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$24,147
About $256 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$59,115
Rank 842 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
- $17,604
- Tuition in-state
- $13,401
- Tuition out-of-state
- $16,901
- Cost of attendance
- $24,877
- Students with a need-based grant
- 35%
- Students with federal loans
- 49%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $13,507
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $13,716
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $16,697
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $18,737
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $21,318
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 $9,516 in 2015-16 to $13,401 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%
- Average SAT
- 1,110
- Undergraduates
- 3,511
- Graduate students
- 602
- Part-time students
- 9.4%
- Women
- 50%
- Students per teacher
- 11
- Completion rate
- 52%
- Retention rate
- 73%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 70
- Endowment
- $28.3M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
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 842 of 5,094 US colleges and 18 of 41 in Connecticut (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CT median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $17,604 | $21,634 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,401 | $21,044 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 87% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 52% | 65% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 73% | 83% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $24,147 | $12,758 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $45,997 | $46,254 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $59,115 | $55,344 | $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. 64% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 72% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
70 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 81 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $24,000 | $38,235 | $66,510 | $55,378 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 75 | $23,203 | $59,556 | $74,783 | $65,184 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $26,000 | $86,600 | $96,483 | $88,910 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 68 | $20,500 | $32,064 | $50,410 | $50,706 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $19,750 | $45,967 | $68,490 | $69,303 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $21,500 | $33,033 | $56,058 | $51,790 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $27,239 | $36,070 | $63,218 | $52,119 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $24,250 | $58,144 | $80,895 | $76,194 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $23,543 | $27,909 | $52,385 | $56,359 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 36 | $40,519 | $50,635 | $58,337 | $60,111 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $19,000 | $46,470 | $81,768 | $83,343 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $21,082 | $50,443 | $72,291 | $83,290 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $27,000 | $37,787 | $52,458 | $57,214 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $25,000 | $24,150 | $50,955 | $39,775 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | $27,000 | $39,696 | $56,882 | $51,389 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | $26,000 | $21,659 | $35,889 | $42,892 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | $49,967 | $50,680 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,471 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 14 | Withheld | $127,107 | Withheld | $120,193 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,824 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Danbury and Connecticut on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Connecticut
- Homes: Homes for sale in Connecticut
Questions and answers
How much does Western Connecticut State University cost?
$17,604 a year is the average net price at Western Connecticut State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,401 for in-state students and $16,901 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $24,877. Families earning under $30,000 pay $13,507 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Western Connecticut State University?
87% of applicants are admitted to Western Connecticut State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,110. The median admission rate of colleges in Connecticut is 76%.
How much do Western Connecticut State University graduates earn?
$59,115 a year is the median pay of former Western Connecticut State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($45,997 after 6 years). That ranks 842 of 5,094 US colleges and 18 of 41 in Connecticut. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $127,107.
How much student debt do Western Connecticut State University graduates have?
$24,147 is the median federal student loan debt of Western Connecticut State University graduates, about $256 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 49% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Western Connecticut State University?
52% of first-time, full-time students at Western Connecticut State University finish within 6 years. 73% 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 Western Connecticut State University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (81 bachelor's graduates), Criminal Justice and Corrections (76 bachelor's graduates), Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (75 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 70 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.