Public · University

University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

Tacoma, Washington · Midsize city

#1 best value in Washington#3 for grad earnings in Washington
82.5%
Admit rate
$10,163
Avg net price
63%
Graduation rate
$78,466
Median earnings

University of Washington-Tacoma Campus is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Tacoma, Washington (midsize city setting), enrolling 4,185 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,185 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 83% admitNear the coast

About Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma is a city in and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. In 1852, Swedish immigrant Nicolas Delin built a water-powered sawmill on a creek near the head of Commencement Bay, but the small settlement that grew around it was abandoned during the Indian War of 1855–56. Tacoma adopted a percent for art ordinance in 1975, allocating one percent of construction costs from major public projects to public art. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
25 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
7 miles to Tacoma Narrows (TIW)

How University of Washington-Tacoma Campus compares

Selectivity82.5%

More selective than 40% · #10 most selective of 21 in Washington

Graduation rate63%

Higher than 65% · #11 of 25 in Washington

First-year retention80%

Higher than 62%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$78,466

Higher than 90% · #3 of 27 in Washington

Average net price$10,163

Cheaper than 90% · #1 cheapest of 25 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$14,615

Lower than 91%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment4,185

Larger than 75%

Percentiles compare University of Washington-Tacoma Campus 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

4,943students
  • Undergraduate4,18585%
  • Graduate75815%

Undergraduates by gender

4,185undergrads
  • Women2,40557%
  • Men1,78043%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White33%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic16%
  • Asian22%
  • Other or multiracial16%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,185
Graduate enrollment
758
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
40%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
23%
Median family income
$39,205
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$109,215
Endowment
$111,318,069

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

Admissions

Admission rate
82.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,168
Out-of-state tuition
$43,404
Room & board
$16,371
Books & supplies
$900
Total cost of attendance
$25,346
Average net price
$10,163

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)
63%
Graduated on time (4 years)
50%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$62,979
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$78,466
Median debt at graduation
$14,615
Students with federal loans
27%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
72%

About 13% 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
50%
Low-income (Pell)
59%
First-generation
59%

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
304
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
7%
Housing charge (year)
$10,083
Application fee
$60

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
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
20

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,965 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.

6.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year6.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.7
Motor vehicle theft
2.0

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
$4,458
$30–48k
$6,135
$48–75k
$6,748
$75–110k
$11,449
$110k+
$22,183

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
$29,150

$6,748/year × about 4.3 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.

68%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,515
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 68% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,515. 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 596 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)
$78,466
Typical debt at graduation
$14,615
Debt vs. one year's pay
19%
Out-earn a HS grad
76%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$72,575
Men
$86,366

Men out-earn women by $13,791 (19%) 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
77°F
Winter low
37°F
Annual rain
40.8″
Annual snow
5.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.36.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tacoma #1, WA US station (1.2 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 University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

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

Colleges near University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

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.