Public · University

Washburn University

Topeka, Kansas · Midsize city

#4 best value in Kansas
Admit rate
$15,280
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$49,774
Median earnings

Washburn University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Topeka, Kansas (midsize city setting), enrolling 4,562 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,562 undergradsMidsize cityNCAA Division II with football · Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

About Topeka, Kansas

Topeka is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. The name "Topeka" is a Kansa-Osage word that means "place where we dig potatoes", or "a good place to dig potatoes". As a placename, Topeka was first recorded in 1826 as the Kansa name for the Kansas River. The Topeka Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1945 and currently performs on the campus of Washburn University. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
468 miles
Nearest airport
52 miles to Manhattan (MHK)

How Washburn University compares

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 46% · #9 of 27 in Kansas

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,774

Higher than 39% · #20 of 27 in Kansas

Average net price$15,280

Cheaper than 72% · #4 cheapest of 26 in Kansas

Median debt at graduation$18,127

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment4,562

Larger than 76%

Percentiles compare Washburn University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kansas.

Washburn University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,264students
  • Undergraduate4,56287%
  • Graduate70213%

Undergraduates by gender

4,562undergrads
  • Women2,69759%
  • Men1,86541%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black8.7%
  • Hispanic16%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,562
Graduate enrollment
702
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
19%
Median family income
$36,446
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,344
Endowment
$223,942,063

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 942 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kansas86%
  • Other U.S. states9.2%
  • International4.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Washburn University draws overwhelmingly from Kansas.

5% came from outside the U.S. 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,945
Out-of-state tuition
$20,949
Room & board
$11,501
Books & supplies
$807
Total cost of attendance
$21,512
Average net price
$15,280

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)
53%
Graduated on time (4 years)
28%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
26%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,881
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,774
Median debt at graduation
$18,127
Students with federal loans
31%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

About 25% 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)
41%
First-generation
43%

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
852
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
19%
Housing charge (year)
$6,180
Meal plan (year)
$4,579
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
623 (387 men · 236 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 (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)299
Football135
Baseball46
Soccer30
Basketball29
Tennis22
Softball21
Volleyball21
Golf20

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
9
Property offenses (2022–2024)
18

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (6,033 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.

9.0reported offenses a year
3.0 violent a year6.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
3.3
Burglary
2.7
Rape
1.3
Aggravated assault
1.0
Fondling
0.3
Robbery
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
$20,310
$30–48k
$9,693
$48–75k
$10,758
$75–110k
$13,922
$110k+
$15,472

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
$50,771

$10,758/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.

70%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,944
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 70% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,944. 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 738 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)
$49,774
Typical debt at graduation
$18,127
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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
$47,261
Men
$52,156

Men out-earn women by $4,895 (10%) 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
88°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
37.3″
Annual snow
17.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Topeka - Nws, KS US station (4.7 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 Washburn University

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

Colleges near Washburn 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.