Campus of Western Washington University

    Western Washington University

    Bellingham, WA, United States

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    • Public
    • Master's university
    • NCAA Division II

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    Photo: Generalissima, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Western Washington University Rankings & Recognition

    Western Washington University appears in 13 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #56 of 521 for education, and #6 of 11 ranked colleges in Washington.

    Western Washington University rankings by major

    Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

    Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

    Education

    Ranked #56 of 521 for value

    Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · 69 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $63,072
    Ranked-college median: $48,822
    Median debt
    $19,758
    Ranked-college median: $21,500

    Value score 74.3 of 100 · #6 of 11 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    96th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    37th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    88th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    60th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 31% of earnings

    Best colleges for education

    Marketing

    Ranked #124 of 354 for value

    Marketing · 95 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $69,323
    Ranked-college median: $67,486
    Median debt
    $15,000
    Ranked-college median: $19,523

    Value score 57.6 of 100 · #5 of 7 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    56th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    42th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    87th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    48th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $17,699) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 22% of earnings

    Best colleges for marketing

    Finance

    Ranked #154 of 330 for value

    Finance and Financial Management Services · 35 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $75,730
    Ranked-college median: $77,916
    Median debt
    $13,750
    Ranked-college median: $19,500

    Value score 51.9 of 100 · #5 of 6 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    45th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    41th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    83th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    47th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $17,502) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 18% of earnings

    Best colleges for finance

    Accounting

    Ranked #158 of 408 for value

    Accounting and Related Services · 49 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $82,246
    Ranked-college median: $76,108
    Median debt
    $19,166
    Ranked-college median: $20,500

    Value score 56.6 of 100 · #6 of 9 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    64th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    39th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    67th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    52th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 23% of earnings

    Best colleges for accounting

    Communications

    Ranked #174 of 388 for value

    Communication and Media Studies · 101 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $56,415
    Ranked-college median: $56,130
    Median debt
    $16,157
    Ranked-college median: $19,593

    Value score 52.7 of 100 · #5 of 10 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    51th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    38th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    77th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    50th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 29% of earnings

    Best colleges for communications

    Computer science

    Ranked #176 of 466 for value

    Computer and Information Sciences, General · 113 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $110,138
    Ranked-college median: $97,375
    Median debt
    $18,106
    Ranked-college median: $19,500

    Value score 57.4 of 100 · #7 of 11 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    69th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    36th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    70th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    47th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $16,804) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 16% of earnings

    Best colleges for computer science

    Business

    Ranked #187 of 986 for value

    Business Administration, Management and Operations · 66 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $71,886
    Ranked-college median: $64,860
    Median debt
    $17,500
    Ranked-college median: $21,375

    Value score 66.6 of 100 · #7 of 22 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    72th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    46th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    83th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    64th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 24% of earnings

    Best colleges for business

    Mathematics

    Ranked #205 of 208 for value

    Mathematics · 28 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $54,234
    Ranked-college median: $71,273

    Value score 17.4 of 100 · #5 of 5 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    4th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    33th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    27th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $17,049) · graduation rate 60.8%

    Best colleges for mathematics

    Psychology

    Ranked #210 of 814 for value

    Psychology, General · 234 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $53,224
    Ranked-college median: $51,007
    Median debt
    $15,833
    Ranked-college median: $21,000

    Value score 62.2 of 100 · #8 of 16 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    63th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    46th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    87th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    55th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 30% of earnings

    Best colleges for psychology

    Economics

    Ranked #236 of 243 for value

    Economics · 49 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $64,123
    Ranked-college median: $83,880
    Median debt
    $18,417
    Ranked-college median: $18,500

    Value score 21.1 of 100 · #7 of 7 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    7th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    53th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    14th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    16th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $21,142) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 29% of earnings

    Best colleges for economics

    Kinesiology and exercise science

    Ranked #333 of 459 for value

    Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · 43 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $50,079
    Ranked-college median: $53,707
    Median debt
    $21,315
    Ranked-college median: $21,500

    Value score 38.6 of 100 · #4 of 5 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    29th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    42th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    37th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    62th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $18,314) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 43% of earnings

    Best colleges for kinesiology and exercise science

    Political science

    Ranked #356 of 388 for value

    Political Science and Government · 83 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $49,640
    Ranked-college median: $63,181
    Median debt
    $16,444
    Ranked-college median: $19,500

    Value score 25.7 of 100 · #7 of 8 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    6th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    44th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    38th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    32th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $18,238) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 33% of earnings

    Best colleges for political science

    Biology

    Ranked #577 of 680 for value

    Biology, General · 56 graduates

    Earnings 4 yrs after
    $50,027
    Ranked-college median: $58,001
    Median debt
    $20,580
    Ranked-college median: $20,717

    Value score 30.7 of 100 · #11 of 11 in Washington

    Graduate earnings · 40% of score
    17th percentile
    Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score
    42th percentile
    Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score
    28th percentile
    Graduation rate · 15% of score
    50th percentile

    Average net price $19,963 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 60.8% · debt is 41% of earnings

    Best colleges for biology

    Rankings & recognition

    Official classifications we track, alongside the rankings by major above.

    Verified data

    Carnegie Classification

    Master's university

    A College or University that also has a large number of Master’s Degree programs

    Athletics

    NCAA Division II

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