Public · Community college

Wenatchee Valley College

Wenatchee, Washington · Small city

8%
Transfer rate
$9,722
Avg net price
43%
Grad / completion
$41,127
Median earnings

Wenatchee Valley College is a public associate-granting institution in Wenatchee, Washington (small city setting), enrolling 1,759 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,759 undergradsSmall cityNWACCold winters

About Wenatchee, Washington

Wenatchee is the county seat of and the most populous city in Chelan County, Washington, United States. The Wenatchee Reach of the Columbia River was formed during the Missoula floods, series of ice age floods that inundated much of modern-day Eastern Washington. The Wenatchee post office contains an oil on canvas mural, The Saga of Wenatchee, painted in 1940 by Peggy Strong. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
94 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean
93 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Pangborn Memorial (EAT)

How Wenatchee Valley College compares

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 30% · #25 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,127

Higher than 73% · #32 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$9,722

Cheaper than 71% · #21 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$10,332

Lower than 44%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment1,759

Larger than 80%

Percentiles compare Wenatchee Valley College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Washington.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,759undergrads
  • Women1,01558%
  • Men74442%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White32%
  • Black1.4%
  • Hispanic50%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial16%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,759
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
53%
Students over 25
27%
Median family income
$23,128
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$98,163
Endowment
$11,919,143

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 511 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Washington94%
  • Other U.S. states6.3%

Most first-years stay in state — Wenatchee Valley College draws overwhelmingly from Washington.

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
$5,267
Out-of-state tuition
$5,636
Room & board
$10,458
Books & supplies
$528
Total cost of attendance
$20,827
Average net price
$9,722

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
43%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,011
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,127
Median debt at graduation
$10,332
Students with federal loans
4%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
34%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
43%
Low-income (Pell)
20%
First-generation
21%

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
75
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
4%
Housing charge (year)
$5,580
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NWAC
Varsity athletes
150 (78 men · 72 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)

Soccer53
Baseball36
Basketball28
Softball20
Volleyball13

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (3,067 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
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
$7,094
$30–48k
$10,336
$48–75k
$10,806
$75–110k
$12,534
$110k+
$18,726

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.

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.

36%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,727
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 36% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,727. 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 463 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)
$41,127
Typical debt at graduation
$10,332
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 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
$37,834
Men
$46,314

Men out-earn women by $8,480 (22%) 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
89°F
Winter low
26°F
Annual rain
9″
Annual snow
16.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.81.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wenatchee, WA US station (1.3 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 Wenatchee Valley College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Wenatchee Valley College side by side →

Colleges near Wenatchee Valley 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.