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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Western Washington University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/western-washington-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/western-washington-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/western-washington-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/western-washington-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/western-washington-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Western Washington University cost after financial aid?

Costs for aid recipients run higher than the comparable-institution benchmark, even after average aid is applied. At Western Washington University, the standard published budget is $30,359.

In-state tuition and fees are $9,582, out-of-state tuition and fees are $28,707, and room and board are $15,747. For aid recipients, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,193, with average financial aid savings of $9,166 against the published cost.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634; this university is $5,559 above that figure. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The aid-recipient cost remains above the peer benchmark despite the average savings.

Western Washington University has a mixed affordability picture. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,193, $5,559 above the $15,634 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). From lowest- to highest-income bands, average net prices are $12,915, $14,147, $17,539, $24,301, and $27,984.

Completers who borrowed had median federal student loan debt of $18,500, $1,576 below the $20,076 peer median. Higher costs but lower borrowing leave the affordability picture mixed.

For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) ranges from $12,915 in the lowest family-income band to $27,984 in the highest band. The intervening bands show average net prices of $14,147 for the next-lowest band, $17,539 for the middle band, and $24,301 for the next-highest band.

Pell Grants reach 20.9% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,069.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,915

**$30–48K**
$14,147

**$48–75K**
$17,539

**$75–110K**
$24,301

**$110K+**
$27,984

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$21,193**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The published price is reduced on average for aid recipients, but the reduction is not uniform across family-income bands. Aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

That share is an average across recipients, not a promise for any particular family. The income pattern runs from lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s in the lowest bands through higher prices in the middle and upper bands.

This shows aid is more concentrated toward lower-income recipients within these averages, rather than describing an individual award. The overall aid share and lower prices in the lower bands point in the same direction: average assistance is greater there.

Western Washington University has a published cost of attendance of $30,359, and aid recipients face different average prices across family-income bands. In the lowest family-income band, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,915; it is $14,147 in the lower-middle band, $17,539 in the middle band, $24,301 in the upper-middle band, and $27,984 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,069. Azimuth ranks Western Washington University #527 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 30% of the published cost, an average savings of $9,166. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $21,193, which is $5,559 above the peer median of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published in-state tuition is $9,582, and out-of-state tuition is $28,707. Aid offsets part of the sticker price, though the overall average net price sits above the comparable-institution median.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $18,500, and 83.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $1,576 below the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $23,123.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

For completers who borrowed federal loans, median federal student loan debt is $18,500, which is $1,576 below the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Federal loans are used by 83.8% of federal aid recipients.

[Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $23,123.

Western Washington University has its strongest Azimuth pillar in mobility, but the investment picture is mixed. Graduates earn a median of $58,560 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings level in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is less favorable here.

Graduates earn about $3,882 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places this measure in the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios range from $43,952 in a downside scenario to $81,505 in an upside scenario, with $58,560 as the typical scenario. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $18,500, $1,576 below the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower debt does not offset the below-expected earnings picture.

Parent borrowers at Western Washington University had median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $23,123. For student borrowers, the median federal debt cited above corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$23,123

**Estimated parent payment**
$294/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$18,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$23,123

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$210/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$294/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$504/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 $58,560, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.0%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=western-washington-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.