Public · University
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington · Distant town
- 90.6%
- Admit rate
- $18,476
- Avg net price
- 54%
- Graduation rate
- $61,580
- Median earnings
Central Washington University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Ellensburg, Washington (distant town setting), enrolling 7,833 undergraduates.
About Ellensburg, Washington
Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. John Alden Shoudy arrived in the Kittitas Valley in 1871 and purchased a small trading post from Andrew Jackson "A.J." Splawn, called "Robber's Roost". In 2024, WinCo Foods, a regional supermarket chain, began construction of a distribution center and cold storage facility in Ellensburg. It is scheduled to be fully completed in 2031 and encompass 700,000 square feet (65,000 m2). (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 94 miles to Seattle, WA
- To the ocean
- 88 miles
- Nearest airport
- 30 miles to Yakima Air Terminal McAllister Field (YKM)
How Central Washington University compares
More selective than 22% · #17 most selective of 21 in Washington
Higher than 47% · #19 of 25 in Washington
Higher than 31%
Higher than 71% · #16 of 27 in Washington
Cheaper than 57% · #8 cheapest of 25 in Washington
Lower than 78%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 86%
Percentiles compare Central Washington University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Washington.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate7,83394%
- Graduate4946%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women4,27655%
- Men3,55745%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White56%
- Black4.7%
- Hispanic23%
- Asian4.3%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 7,833
- Graduate enrollment
- 494
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 40%
- Students over 25
- 20%
- Median family income
- $42,459
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $91,116
- Endowment
- $60,180,064
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,568 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Washington93%
- Other U.S. states6.1%
- International0.5%
Most first-years stay in state — Central Washington University draws overwhelmingly from Washington.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 90.6%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $9,417
- Out-of-state tuition
- $27,526
- Room & board
- $16,480
- Books & supplies
- $900
- Total cost of attendance
- $28,816
- Average net price
- $18,476
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 54%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 36%
- First-year retention
- 70%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $49,398
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $61,580
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Students with federal loans
- 31%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 57%
About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 4,249
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 54%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,393
- Meal plan (year)
- $8,359
- Application fee
- $60
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Great Northwest Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 455 (247 men · 208 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 29
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 30
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 9 campuses (10,811 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$16,022/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 88% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,325. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,402 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $61,580
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 32%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 67%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $11,690 (21%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 9.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ellensburg Bowers Fld, WA US station (2.2 mi from campus).
What Central Washington University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Central Washington University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Central Washington University side by side →
University of Minnesota-Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota · Small city · 2 mi to Duluth
- Students
- 7,336
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1251
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $63k
Pennsylvania State University-World Campus
University Park, Pennsylvania · Small city · 63 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 7,877
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1248
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $63k
Salisbury University
Salisbury, Maryland · Small suburb · 85 mi to Baltimore
- Students
- 6,057
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1252
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $62k
William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, New Jersey · Large suburb · 19 mi to New York
- Students
- 6,614
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $58k
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, Wisconsin · Distant town · 60 mi to Madison
- Students
- 5,837
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $62k
Stockton University
Galloway, New Jersey · Fringe rural · 46 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 7,537
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1139
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $58k
Colleges near Central Washington University
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
Yakima, WA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Yakima Valley College
Yakima, WA · Public · Associate · 2,770 students
Elite Cosmetology Barber & Spa Academy
Yakima, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 118 students
Perry Technical Institute
Yakima, WA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 1,072 students
Wenatchee Valley College
Wenatchee, WA · Public · Associate · 1,759 students
Heritage University
Toppenish, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 812 students
Big Bend Community College
Moses Lake, WA · Public · Associate · 1,272 students
Green River College
Auburn, WA · Public · Associate · 4,965 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












