Public · College

The Evergreen State College

Olympia, Washington · Midsize suburb

96.4%
Admit rate
$24,319
Avg net price
41%
Graduation rate
$45,320
Median earnings

The Evergreen State College is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Olympia, Washington (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 2,160 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,160 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 96% admitNAIA Division ICold wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against The Evergreen State College's admitted students.

Admit rate
96.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1035–1253
Avg GPA (est.)
3.44

Enter a test score to see where you land against The Evergreen State College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and The Evergreen State College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. The first recorded Europeans came to Olympia in 1792. Peter Puget and a crew from the British Vancouver Expedition are said to have explored the site, but neither recorded any encounters with the resident Indigenous population. Despite its relatively small population, Olympia is internationally known for its local music scene, particularly in the alternative rock and punk genres. It is most notable for its role in incubating the riot grrrl and grunge movements of the 1990s. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
48 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
8 miles to Olympia (OLM)

How The Evergreen State College compares

Selectivity96.4%

More selective than 11% · #20 most selective of 21 in Washington

SAT average1216

Higher than 63%

Graduation rate41%

Higher than 24% · #24 of 25 in Washington

First-year retention70%

Higher than 30%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,320

Higher than 25% · #26 of 27 in Washington

Average net price$24,319

Cheaper than 31% · #15 cheapest of 25 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment2,160

Larger than 59%

Percentiles compare The Evergreen State College 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

2,374students
  • Undergraduate2,16091%
  • Graduate2149%

Undergraduates by gender

2,160undergrads
  • Women1,31261%
  • Men84839%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White56%
  • Black7.2%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian2.0%
  • Other or multiracial19%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,160
Graduate enrollment
214
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
42%
First-generation students
30%
Students over 25
41%
Median family income
$22,200
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,908
Endowment
$25,335,007

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

Admissions

Admission rate
96.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1035–1253
SAT average
1216
SAT reading
540–663
SAT math
495–590
ACT composite
23–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.44

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,264
Out-of-state tuition
$31,905
Room & board
$14,589
Books & supplies
$528
Total cost of attendance
$28,477
Average net price
$24,319

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)
41%
Graduated on time (4 years)
30%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,774
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,320
Median debt at graduation
$20,500
Students with federal loans
40%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
47%

About 11% 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
30%
Low-income (Pell)
45%
First-generation
44%

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
520
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
24%
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
243 (126 men · 117 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 (5)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)69
Soccer63
Wrestling54
Basketball41
Volleyball16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
17
Property offenses (2022–2024)
24

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,490 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.

14reported offenses a year
5.7 violent a year8.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
4.7
Rape
3.7
Burglary
3.0
Aggravated assault
0.7
Negligent manslaughter
0.3
Fondling
0.3
Statutory rape
0.3
Robbery
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
$22,079
$30–48k
$22,607
$48–75k
$25,723
$75–110k
$27,346
$110k+
$28,477

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
$113,092

$25,723/year × about 4.4 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.

75%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,599
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 75% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,599. 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 263 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)
$45,320
Typical debt at graduation
$20,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 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
$45,202
Men
$45,700

Men out-earn women by $498 (1%) 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
78°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
50.6″
Annual snow
3.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.18.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Olympia AP, WA US station (7.8 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 The Evergreen State College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare The Evergreen State College side by side →

Colleges near The Evergreen State College

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.