Public · University

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington · Fringe town

#3 best value in Washington
90.8%
Admit rate
$13,886
Avg net price
43%
Graduation rate
$57,897
Median earnings

Eastern Washington University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Cheney, Washington (fringe town setting), enrolling 6,222 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 6,222 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 91% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Big Sky ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Cheney, Washington

Cheney is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States. Named for Boston railroad tycoon Benjamin Pierce Cheney, Cheney was officially incorporated on November 28, 1883. Cheney Rodeo Days is held the second weekend in July each year and has been a major annual event for the community since 1967. The event is put on by the Cheney Rodeo Association and includes three days of rodeo competition held at the rodeo grounds just north of Cheney. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
14 miles to Spokane, WA
To the ocean
217 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Spokane (GEG) · major hub

How Eastern Washington University compares

Selectivity90.8%

More selective than 22% · #18 most selective of 21 in Washington

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 29% · #23 of 25 in Washington

First-year retention67%

Higher than 25%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,897

Higher than 62% · #19 of 27 in Washington

Average net price$13,886

Cheaper than 77% · #3 cheapest of 25 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment6,222

Larger than 81%

Percentiles compare Eastern 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

9,762students
  • Undergraduate6,22264%
  • Graduate3,54036%

Undergraduates by gender

6,222undergrads
  • Women3,57858%
  • Men2,64442%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black4.6%
  • Hispanic20%
  • Asian2.9%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,222
Graduate enrollment
3,540
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$38,218
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$95,787
Endowment
$48,340,888

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 1,354 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Washington92%
  • Other U.S. states8.3%

Most first-years stay in state — Eastern Washington University draws overwhelmingly from Washington.

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
90.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,586
Out-of-state tuition
$25,959
Room & board
$15,574
Books & supplies
$798
Total cost of attendance
$24,478
Average net price
$13,886

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)
43%
Graduated on time (4 years)
28%
First-year retention
67%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,469
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,897
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
Students with federal loans
35%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
57%

About 16% 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
28%
Low-income (Pell)
43%
First-generation
42%

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
1,788
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
29%
Housing charge (year)
$8,854
Meal plan (year)
$6,026
Application fee
$60
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Big Sky Conference
Varsity athletes
434 (238 men · 196 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 (7)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)199
Football132
Basketball32
Soccer32
Volleyball17
Tennis15
Golf7

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
33
Property offenses (2022–2024)
27

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (10,492 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
11 violent a year9.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
6.7
Rape
6.0
Fondling
4.3
Motor vehicle theft
2.0
Robbery
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Arson
0.3

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
$9,547
$30–48k
$10,204
$48–75k
$12,292
$75–110k
$17,596
$110k+
$22,279

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
$55,896

$12,292/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.

73%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,403
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 73% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,403. 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 1,338 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)
$57,897
Typical debt at graduation
$19,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
34%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.4 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
$52,835
Men
$63,612

Men out-earn women by $10,777 (20%) 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
84°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
18.3″
Annual snow
45.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Spokane 17 Ssw, WA US station (5.7 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 Eastern Washington University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Eastern Washington University side by side →

Colleges near Eastern 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.