College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Western Connecticut State University

CTMedium public institution · Overall rank #494 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Western Connecticut State University #494 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

A student looking for a public university in Connecticut with a mix of business, health and arts programs will find the fit at Western Connecticut State University. Those fields account for the largest shares of degrees awarded, and mobility is the strongest here.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes the gap to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — while the unexplained remainder subtracts from it.

Return is above average, yet it is the weakest of the four pillars. Pell students finish within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility is above average.

The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it. Even so, the sits above the median for comparable schools.

The admission rate sits close to the median for comparable schools. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study.

A student drawn to the biggest programs should know that the highest-earning fields are smaller.

Western Connecticut State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
87.0%
Six-year completion[2]
51.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$60,346

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$16,697
Median student debt[4]
$24,147
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$19,000

Western Connecticut State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Western Connecticut State University is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut, with an undergraduate enrollment of 3,511. Its composite standing is in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The university admits 87.0% of applicants, a rate that is close to the 85.9% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among full-time first-year students, 73.2% return for a second year, compared with the peer median — the median for comparable institutions — of 73.7%.

The six-year graduation rate is 51.8%, which is above the median for comparable institutions of 49.1%. An estimated 22.9% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation rate describes a first-time, full-time cohort that is not the whole student body.

The four pillars sit in a narrow band (mobility at the 73rd percentile, return at the 56th percentile). Access and affordability fall between them (58th and 62nd percentiles, respectively).

The shape is a public university whose return is the least distinguishing of the four.

Azimuth ranks Western Connecticut State University #391 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the mobility pillar in the 73rd percentile, the strongest of the four.

Affordability sits in the 62nd percentile and access in the 58th percentile. Return is the weakest pillar, at the 56th percentile.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores at Western Connecticut State University fell between 1,040 and 1,170. 35.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Azimuth ranks the university #624 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 50.6%, 1.2 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate.

Azimuth ranks Western Connecticut State University #391 for mobility. Graduates earn about $1,865 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Western Connecticut State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#494

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 73
Access & reach
National percentile: 58
Affordability
National percentile: 62
Return on investment
National percentile: 56

Top-ranked majors

  1. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft#5
  2. Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions#5
  3. Criminal Justice and Corrections#12

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Western Connecticut State University briefing

Western Connecticut State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Western Connecticut State University is $24,877 (an average across living arrangements). In-state tuition and fees run $13,401, out-of-state tuition and fees run $16,901, and room and board are published at $15,659.

At this university, the average net price comes to $17,604. Aid reduces the sticker price by $7,273 for a typical recipient, covering about 29% of the published cost.

That average net price is $3,536 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #545 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 62nd percentile.

The published cost of attendance at Western Connecticut State University is $24,877 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #545 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $13,507, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $16,697, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $21,318. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,811.

Aid saves the average recipient $7,273 against the sticker price, bringing the average net price across all aid recipients to $17,604. That figure is $3,536 above the median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,147 in federal student loans. That is $2,918 above the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions.

88.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,000 in Parent PLUS loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $274 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$16,697

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Western Connecticut State University

Most undergraduates at Western Connecticut State University borrow: 88.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who complete, the median federal student debt is $24,147.

That median runs $2,918 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,000 in Parent PLUS loans.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates of Western Connecticut State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $60,346, at the 52nd percentile nationally. That figure is $3,045 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $1,865 more than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 62nd percentile. The program mix points to a range of earnings scenarios: a downside of $47,389, a typical scenario of $60,346, and an upside of $86,863.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,147 in federal loans, $2,918 above the median for comparable institutions. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $274 a month.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,000. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $274 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$24,147
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$19,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$274/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$241/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

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.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Western Connecticut State University briefing

Western Connecticut State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

The earnings scenarios show a wide spread: from $47,389 on the downside to $86,863 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the upper end, Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $118,324 four years after completion, from 8 degrees awarded a year. Nursing is both larger and high-earning, with 84 degrees awarded and median earnings of $96,483. Finance graduates earn $81,768 from 33 degrees awarded.

Graduates of Western Connecticut State University earn a median of $60,346 four years after completing a degree, among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That median falls in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort includes 1,128 completers. That median is $3,045 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $1,865 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix span from $47,389 to $86,863.

An estimated 26.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. Earnings land above both the peer median—the median for comparable institutions of the same type and size—and the model's expectation, though the scenario range is wide.

Four years after graduating, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $60,346, at the 52nd percentile. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $57,301, so earnings run $3,045 above that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks Western Connecticut State University #643 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,865 more than the model expects for similar students.

That puts the gap at the 62nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,670.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,805. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $388.

The program mix is concentrated in business and health professions, with a small STEM share. Earnings scenarios estimated from that mix range from a downside of $47,389 to an upside of $86,863.

An estimated 26.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The median federal student loan debt for borrowers who finish at Western Connecticut State University is $24,147. That is $2,918 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, the debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $274 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,000 in Parent PLUS loans.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,604. Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Earnings sit above the peer median—the median for comparable institutions—and graduates earn about $1,865 more than the model expects for similar students.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$5,670
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$3,805
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$1,865

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Western Connecticut State University briefing

Western Connecticut State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Western Connecticut State University admits 87.0% of applicants, close to the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
87.0%
Approximate lower endpoint
1040
Reported average
1110
Approximate upper endpoint
1170

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Western Connecticut State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Western Connecticut State University?[12]

The highest-earning program at Western Connecticut State University is a small one. Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $118,324 four years after completion, from 8 degrees awarded a year.

The largest programs tell a different story. Criminal Justice awards 92 degrees a year and Azimuth ranks it #12 nationally in its field, with median earnings of $66,510.

Nursing is close behind in size at 84 degrees awarded, and its graduates earn $96,483. At the more moderate end, Psychology awards 67 degrees a year and shows median earnings of $50,410.

The spread between that figure and the $96,483 median in Nursing illustrates how much program choice shapes the earnings picture here.

Business accounts for 25.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 14.2%. Azimuth ranks 14 programs nationally.

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft ranks #5 in its field, with 46 degrees awarded and median earnings of $50,955 four years after completion. Criminal Justice, the largest program at 92 degrees a year, ranks #12 nationally and shows median earnings of $66,510.

The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, at $118,324 from 8 degrees awarded. Nursing follows at $96,483 with 84 degrees awarded.

Western Connecticut State University awards bachelor's degrees across 17 programs with published four-year earnings data, and 14 hold an Azimuth national rank within their field. The program mix is led by Business, which accounts for 25.2% of degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 14.2% and Visual & Performing Arts at 10.4%.

The largest programs with published earnings are Criminal Justice at 92 degrees awarded, Nursing at 84, and Psychology at 67. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft awards 46 degrees a year and ranks #1 in Connecticut within its field.

Graduates earn a median of $50,955 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.28x against the national median for its field. Criminal Justice, the largest program, ranks #12 nationally and #1 in Connecticut within its field, with median earnings of $66,510.

The highest-earning program is a much smaller one: Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $118,324 four years out, from 8 degrees awarded a year. Strength is concentrated in a few professional fields.

The two nationally ranked programs, Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft and Criminal Justice, both sit well above the national median for their fields. Nursing is the second-largest program and the second-highest earner. Across all fields, 7.7% of degrees are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Criminal Justice and Corrections 92 degrees awarded
$66,510
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 84 degrees awarded
$96,483
Business Administration, Management and Operations 71 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Psychology, General 67 degrees awarded
$50,410
Communication and Media Studies 54 degrees awarded
$52,385
Marketing 51 degrees awarded
$68,490

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Western Connecticut State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Western Connecticut State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Western Connecticut State University.

Admissions peerBay Path University85.2% admitted
Comparison with Western Connecticut State University
MeasureWestern Connecticut State UniversityBay Path University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,346$62,912+$2,566 vs Western Connecticut State University
Average annual net price$17,604$14,271-$3,333 vs Western Connecticut State University · lower cost
Admission rate87.0%85.2%
Explore Bay Path University →
Higher-admission alternativeNew Jersey City University98.4% admitted
Comparison with Western Connecticut State University
MeasureWestern Connecticut State UniversityNew Jersey City University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,346$60,965+$619 vs Western Connecticut State University
Average annual net price$17,604$16,053-$1,551 vs Western Connecticut State University · lower cost
Admission rate87.0%98.4%
Explore New Jersey City University →
Nearby alternativeEastern Connecticut State UniversityNearby option · CT
Comparison with Western Connecticut State University
MeasureWestern Connecticut State UniversityEastern Connecticut State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,346$57,759-$2,587 vs Western Connecticut State University
Average annual net price$17,604$21,067+$3,463 vs Western Connecticut State University · higher cost
Admission rate87.0%83.0%
Explore Eastern Connecticut State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell$81,163 earnings
Comparison with Western Connecticut State University
MeasureWestern Connecticut State UniversityUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,346$81,163+$20,817 vs Western Connecticut State University
Average annual net price$17,604$17,163-$441 vs Western Connecticut State University · lower cost
Admission rate87.0%83.0%
Explore University of Massachusetts-Lowell →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 average net price
Comparison with Western Connecticut State University
MeasureWestern Connecticut State UniversityCUNY Brooklyn College
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,346$62,833+$2,487 vs Western Connecticut State University
Average annual net price$17,604$3,103-$14,501 vs Western Connecticut State University · lower cost
Admission rate87.0%58.4%
Explore CUNY Brooklyn College →
Similar profileWestfield State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Western Connecticut State University
MeasureWestern Connecticut State UniversityWestfield State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,346$59,434-$912 vs Western Connecticut State University
Average annual net price$17,604$16,721-$883 vs Western Connecticut State University · lower cost
Admission rate87.0%81.4%
Explore Westfield State University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings