Private nonprofit · University

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington · Fringe rural

#5 best value in Washington
Admit rate
$14,598
Avg net price
54%
Graduation rate
$49,416
Median earnings

Heritage University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Toppenish, Washington (fringe rural setting), enrolling 812 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Private nonprofitSmall · 812 undergradsFringe ruralCold winters

About Toppenish, Washington

Toppenish is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. All territory set aside for the Yakama Indian Reservation by the Treaty of Washington was held communally in the name of the tribe. None of the land was individually owned. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
114 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to Yakima Air Terminal McAllister Field (YKM)

How Heritage University compares

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 48% · #18 of 25 in Washington

First-year retention57%

Higher than 11%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,416

Higher than 37% · #24 of 27 in Washington

Average net price$14,598

Cheaper than 74% · #5 cheapest of 25 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$14,573

Lower than 92%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment812

Larger than 31%

Percentiles compare Heritage 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

934students
  • Undergraduate81287%
  • Graduate12213%

Undergraduates by gender

812undergrads
  • Women60274%
  • Men21026%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White10.0%
  • Black1.0%
  • Hispanic73%
  • Asian0.6%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
812
Graduate enrollment
122
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
67%
First-generation students
63%
Students over 25
31%
Median family income
$26,087
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$76,239
Endowment
$39,805,351

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$20,928
Room & board
Books & supplies
$942
Total cost of attendance
$31,209
Average net price
$14,598

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)
24%
First-year retention
57%
Transferred to another college
2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,001
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,416
Median debt at graduation
$14,573
Students with federal loans
36%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
37%

About 30% 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
24%
Low-income (Pell)
53%

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
No
Application fee
Free

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (937 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.

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
$15,114
$30–48k
$12,383
$48–75k
$14,119
$75–110k
$17,053
$110k+
$20,749

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
$68,115

$14,119/year × about 4.8 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.

92%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,491
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 92% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,491. 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 128 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)
$49,416
Typical debt at graduation
$14,573
Debt vs. one year's pay
29%
Out-earn a HS grad
55%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 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
$46,105
Men
$53,507

Men out-earn women by $7,402 (16%) 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
90°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
7.8″
Annual snow
20.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.71.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wapato, WA US station (4.4 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 Heritage University

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

Colleges near Heritage 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.