Cost & financial aid brief
Central Washington University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Central Washington University cost after financial aid?
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $18,476, a savings of $10,340 against the published cost of $28,816. Aid covers 36% of the sticker price for the average recipient.
That average conceals a spread of $14,873 between the lowest and highest income bands. Families earning under $30,000 average $11,846, while those earning over $110,000 average $26,719.
The middle bands fall between the two ends, with net prices rising alongside income.
Central Washington University lists a published cost of attendance of $28,816, but aid-recipient prices vary by family income. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $11,846 in the lowest family-income band, $13,942 in the lower-middle band, $16,022 in the middle band, $21,682 in the upper-middle band, and $26,719 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,873. Azimuth ranks the university #454 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 36% of the published cost, a savings of $10,340 against the sticker price. Across aid recipients, the is $18,476, which is $4,408 above the peer median of $14,068, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published in-state tuition is $9,417, compared with $27,526 for out-of-state tuition. Federal student-loan borrowers who complete have median debt of $19,500, which is $1,729 below the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).
84.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $22,000.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Central Washington University's federal borrowing picture is lower than that of comparable institutions, though borrowing is common. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,500.
Federal loans are held by 84.1% of federal aid recipients. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, placing the university $1,729 below it.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $22,000.
At Central Washington University, the investment picture is shaped by earnings that run above the peer median and debt that runs below it. Graduates earn about $2,017 more than expects for similar students, an outcome at the 62nd percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $48,680 in a downside case to $84,047 in an upside case, with $63,444 as the typical scenario. The median four years after completion is $63,444, at the 61st percentile, which is $6,143 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,500 in federal student loans, $1,729 below the peer median of $21,229. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month.
Earnings above the peer median and debt below it point the same way for the return picture.
Parent borrowing is separate from student federal borrowing: median Parent PLUS borrowing is $22,000 for parent borrowers. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $22,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $280/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $19,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $22,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $222/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $280/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $502/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $63,444, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.5% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.