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.

PublicMidsize · 7,833 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 91% admitNCAA Division II with football · Great Northwest Athletic ConferenceCold winters

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

Selectivity90.6%

More selective than 22% · #17 most selective of 21 in Washington

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 47% · #19 of 25 in Washington

First-year retention70%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$61,580

Higher than 71% · #16 of 27 in Washington

Average net price$18,476

Cheaper than 57% · #8 cheapest of 25 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment7,833

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

8,327students
  • Undergraduate7,83394%
  • Graduate4946%

Undergraduates by gender

7,833undergrads
  • 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)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
46%
First-generation
45%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)117
Football116
Other Sports82
Baseball33
Soccer32
Basketball30
Softball26
Volleyball19

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.

20reported offenses a year
9.7 violent a year10 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
7.7
Rape
4.7
Aggravated assault
2.7
Fondling
2.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Arson
0.7

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.

< $30k
$11,846
$30–48k
$13,942
$48–75k
$16,022
$75–110k
$21,682
$110k+
$26,719

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.

Est. total to a degree
$71,772

$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.

88%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,325
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$56,217
Men
$67,907

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.81.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ellensburg Bowers Fld, WA US station (2.2 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Central Washington University

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.