Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Central Washington University

Students comparing Central Washington University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Ellensburg, Washington7,833 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 27Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Central Washington University: U.S. News ranks it #35 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #254 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #895 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 7,833 undergraduates, admits 90.6% of applicants, and posts a 53.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $27,526; aid recipients pay $18,476 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,580.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
90.6%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$18,476

58% below the $44,006 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$61,580

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
53.6%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$19,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedCentral Washington University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Central Washington ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (West)#35of 118Regional univ. (West)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#254of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#895of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Central Washington's position moves 17 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Central Washington

Central Washington University is a public institution in Ellensburg, Washington. Federal data show 70.0% first-year retention and a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $18,476 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $44,006 sticker cost against $18,476 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Central Washington University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$9,417

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$27,526

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$16,480

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $44,006 a year, but the average family pays $18,476 — a 58% difference. 28.3% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Central Washington's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    17:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    70.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    7,833

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Central Washington: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $27,526 and on-campus room and board is $16,480, for a published total of $44,006 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $18,476.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 90.6%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Hawaii-West Oahu

    Kapolei, HIPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Hawaii-West Oahu: U.S. News ranks it #10 on Regional Colleges (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #921 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #286 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 2,519 undergraduates, admits 95.3% of applicants, and posts a 49.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $20,544; aid recipients pay $10,327 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,075.

    Acceptance rate
    95.3%
    Average net price
    $10,327
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $52,075
    6-yr graduation rate
    49.5%
    US News · Regional colleges (West)#10 of 104Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#921 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#286 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    2,519 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 27 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Sonoma State University

    Rohnert Park, CAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Sonoma State University: U.S. News ranks it #25 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Forbes ranks it #221 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #364 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #545 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 5,166 undergraduates, admits 93.4% of applicants, and posts a 57.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $21,224; aid recipients pay $12,885 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $65,986.

    Acceptance rate
    93.4%
    Average net price
    $12,885
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $65,986
    6-yr graduation rate
    57.6%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#25 of 118Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#221 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#364 of 1,504+2 more on profile

    5,166 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 28 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    California State University-San Marcos

    San Marcos, CAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    California State University-San Marcos: U.S. News ranks it #22 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Forbes ranks it #285 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #64 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #97 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #681 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 14,877 undergraduates, admits 95.1% of applicants, and posts a 54.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $20,682; aid recipients pay $10,229 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $62,908.

    Acceptance rate
    95.1%
    Average net price
    $10,229
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $62,908
    6-yr graduation rate
    54.6%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#22 of 118Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#285 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#64 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    14,877 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Central Washington against these