Private nonprofit · University

Walla Walla University

College Place, Washington · Small suburb

Admit rate
$23,329
Avg net price
60%
Graduation rate
$61,885
Median earnings

Walla Walla University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in College Place, Washington (small suburb setting), enrolling 1,252 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Seventh Day Adventists religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,252 undergradsSmall suburbNAIA Division IICold winters

About College Place, Washington

College Place is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. Martin Field, to the west of town, was an air training base during World War II. It is now a private airfield. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
120 miles to Spokane, WA
To the ocean
207 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Walla Walla (ALW)

How Walla Walla University compares

Graduation rate60%

Higher than 60% · #15 of 25 in Washington

First-year retention85%

Higher than 76%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$61,885

Higher than 71% · #15 of 27 in Washington

Average net price$23,329

Cheaper than 34% · #14 cheapest of 25 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$26,842

Lower than 18%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,252

Larger than 44%

Percentiles compare Walla Walla 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

1,365students
  • Undergraduate1,25292%
  • Graduate1138%

Undergraduates by gender

1,252undergrads
  • Women65052%
  • Men60248%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White46%
  • Black4.2%
  • Hispanic23%
  • Asian5.4%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,252
Graduate enrollment
113
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
17%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$65,228
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$66,654
Endowment
$46,573,468

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,227
Room & board
$10,833
Books & supplies
$765
Total cost of attendance
$45,903
Average net price
$23,329

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)
60%
Graduated on time (4 years)
32%
First-year retention
85%
Transferred to another college
28%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$52,840
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$61,885
Median debt at graduation
$26,842
Students with federal loans
47%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
68%

About 28% 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
32%
Low-income (Pell)
60%
First-generation
57%

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
969
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
77%
Housing charge (year)
$5,031
Meal plan (year)
$5,385
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Varsity athletes
160 (89 men · 71 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)

Soccer54
Volleyball33
Basketball29
Golf22
Cross Country22

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
6.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
28

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (1,426 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.

9.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year9.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
6.3
Burglary
3.0
Fondling
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
$18,675
$30–48k
$20,079
$48–75k
$20,776
$75–110k
$24,081
$110k+
$28,760

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
$97,833

$20,776/year × about 4.7 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$15,843
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Walla Walla University itself, averaging $15,843, which softens the sticker price.

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 296 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)
$61,885
Typical debt at graduation
$26,842
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 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
$61,763
Men
$61,278

Women out-earn men by $485 (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
90°F
Winter low
27°F
Annual rain
15.4″
Annual snow
6.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.91.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Whitman Mission, WA US station (3.5 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 Walla Walla University

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

Colleges near Walla Walla 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.