College Compass Start free →

Real costs by school · Bellingham, WA · Public

What Western Washington University actually costs at your income.

At Western Washington University, families earning $75,000–$110,000 paid an average of $24,301 per year — the published cost of attendance is $30,359. (Federal College Scorecard data, July 2026 refresh.)

Every income band — the federal numbers (Public-school prices below reflect what in-state families reported paying; out-of-state families typically pay more.)

Household incomeAvg net price / yr≈ four years*
Under $30k$12,915 / yr$54,437
$30–48k$14,147 / yr$59,630
$48–75k$17,539 / yr$73,927
$75–110k$24,301 / yr$102,429
Over $110k$27,984 / yr$117,953

*Four-year figures grow each year's price by 3.5% — the same method College Compass uses in a family's plan. "Net price" is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education — not a calculator's estimate. Federal reporting groups every income above $110k into one band; families well above it often pay closer to the full cost.

Think you make too much for aid? The real income cutoffs, measured →

Why the sticker price is a fiction — and what families actually pay →

What would your family pay?

Will your student get in?

Admit rate93% published — federal data

Nine questions, then Western Washington University's odds for your student with the math shown — plus your income band's price and its deadlines. First three schools free.

Run Western Washington University for your student →

How this school's price compares

At $75,000–$110,000 of household income, the distance between Western Washington University's published sticker price and what families in that band actually paid is $6,058 a year — a 20% discount off the number on the brochure. That ranks it the most expensive of the 3 Washington schools on this site at that income. Graduates report a median $62,569 10 years out — roughly 61% of the four-year cost at this income band.

After graduation — federal data

Graduates earning, 10 yrs out (median)$62,569
Graduate in four years — the rate you're budgeting on40%
Six-year graduation rate71%
Typical graduate's own federal debt$18,500

Earnings and completion from federal reporting — not the school's own placement survey.

These are averages. Your family isn't average.
Run Western Washington University against your student's real GPA, your income band, and your actual high school — odds with the math shown, the paperwork it requires, and its deadlines on one plan. First three schools free.

Run Western Washington University for your student →

Nearby comparisons

California State University-Chico · Portland State University · Montana State University

All Washington public colleges →