Washington State University

Overview of Washington State University

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If you do choose to attend, you’ll be one of a little more than 31,600 students. Population-wise, this is a little bigger than other state universities and the student-to-faculty ratio is somewhat high due to that: 16 to 1. Luckily, WSU offers campus housing, so you can be right in the middle of all the excitement. Around campus you’ll see areas of green interspersed with large buildings and parking lots. Several streets run through the campus which you can use as landmarks to navigate when you first arrive.

While Pullman isn’t a large community, you’ll still be able to find places to eat and shop. When it’s time to go home for the holidays, Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport is over on the northeast side of the community. If you live in a different state, this makes travel home and back easier.

Top Rankings For Washington State University

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Admissions

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Tuition Cost & Financial Aid

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Generally, though not always, attending a state or public university costs less than if you were to choose a private school. This is true of Washington State University. The sticker price brings every cost together into one number, which includes in-state or out-of-state tuition, books, supplies, room and board, and other charges and fees. The final cost for a recent school year was $27,991.

However, in the 2018-2019 year, the average net price was right around $18,000 - quite a bit lower. The net price is the cost that remains after financial aid has been applied to the sticker price. Financial aid can cover a large amount of the cost of college, especially if you go to the extra effort of getting scholarships or grants. The net price is often tracked by income since that is how you are determined to be eligible for most financial aid. At WSU, families earning between $48,001 and $75,000 paid around $15,500 for a year and families earning less than $30,000 paid only $9,300.

Beginning students qualified for financial aid at a rate of 89%. A slightly smaller percentage (83%) received $9,066 in grants or scholarships and 74% received institutional grants and scholarships averaging $5,553.

Sticker Price

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Academics

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You may have chosen Washington State University knowing exactly what you would be majoring in. Whether you did or not, it can be a good idea to know what the school has to offer just in case you change your mind. WSU offers many degree programs, but the most popular are business, management, marketing and related support services; engineering; social sciences; psychology; and health professions and related programs.

If you attend and decide you’re coming back to WSU for a second year, you’ll join every other student who has been “retained” at the university. The retention rate measures the percentage of first-year students returning to the school and is generally considered to show that students receive everything they need as freshman if the retention rate is high. At WSU it is 79%, which is solid. The 4-year graduation rate is 37% and the 6-year rate is 60%, the first of which is somewhat low but may not reflect the whole truth depending on the transfer rate.

When you choose your classes for each semester, there’s always the chance that you’ll run into time conflicts. If you do, it’s good to know that you have options. Even worse is if the class with a conflict is required for graduation. Luckily, you may have the option to choose an online learning course instead. While this won’t be available for every class, especially as you get into your major courses, it’s good to know you’ll have the option for some flexibility.

Student Population Total

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Outcome & Salary

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All students want to make sure that, once they graduate, they’ll be able to earn a good living. One way to look forward and see if attending a college will be worth it is to consider the standing of the school’s previous graduates. It’s no crystal ball, but graduates of Washington State University earn early-career salaries of $57,200 and mid-career salaries closer to $104,800.

The average 4-year cost of education from WSU is $72,008, which helps us find the next set of figures. WSU graduates have a 10-year salary earning potential of $706,290 and 20-year earnings potential of $1,754,290. If you subtract $72,008 from both dollar totals, you’ll be able to determine their return on investment (ROI). Their 10-year projected ROI is $634,22 and their 20-year ROI is $1,682,282.

On the other hand, some high school graduates decide to go straight to work. Their national average salary is $38,792. Their 10-year projected income is $387,920 and their 20-year projected income is $775,840. As you can see, that’s quite a difference. Not that there aren’t outliers who start a business or learn a trade and make a good living; these are simply statistics. It’s up to you to decide what’s best for your future.

Photos & Videos

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