Western Washington University Overview
Western Washington University is a public institution situated in Bellingham, Washington. The location of WWU is great for students who prefer living in an urban area.
What Is Western Washington University Known For?
- Students at WWU have an easier time paying back their loans. The school's student loan default rate is only 2%, compared to the national rate of 10.1%.
- Although it may not be available for every major, the doctor's degree is the highest award a student can attain at WWU.
- For the 2019-2020 academic year, 69% of the faculty were full-time.
- After graduation, WWU bachelor's degree recipients go on to jobs where they make $54,976 a year. That's about 35% more than their peers at other schools.
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Western Washington University Rankings
These rankings may look different from those published by other outlets, because we use an outcomes-based approach rather than a subjective one. We get our data from a number of places, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard. For more information, check out our rankings and methodology page.
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at WWU.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards WWU has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#1 | Best Data Science, Other Graduate Degree Schools | College Factual |
#1 | Best Canadian Studies Schools | College Factual |
#1 | Best Energy and Environmental Policy Schools | College Factual |
#14 | Best Teaching Schools | Teaching Degree Search |
#15 | Best Special Education Schools | College Factual |
#63 | Best Education Schools | College Factual |
Where Is Western Washington University?

Contact details for WWU are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9008 |
Phone: | 360-650-3000 |
Website: | www.wwu.edu |
Facebook: | http://www.facebook.com/westernwashingtonuniversity |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/WWU |
How Do I Get Into WWU?
You can apply to WWU online at: admissions.wwu.edu/apply
Admission Requirements for WWU
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | required |
High School Rank | neither required nor recommended |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | recommended |
Recommendations | neither required nor recommended |
SAT or ACT Scores | considered but not required |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into WWU?
Approximately 38% of accepted students are men and 62% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 93%, and the acceptance rate for women is 94%.
Average Test Scores
About 83% of students accepted to WWU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 550 and 650. Math scores were between 530 and 620.
Can I Afford Western Washington University?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At WWU, approximately 40% of students took out student loans averaging $6,514 a year. That adds up to $26,056 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at WWU is 1.7%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
Western Washington University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 1,003 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 12,622 full-time undergraduates at WWU, 41% are male and 59% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of Western Washington University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 828 |
Black or African American | 230 |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,363 |
White | 8,629 |
International Students | 102 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 1,470 |
Geographic Diversity
Washington students aren't the only ones who study at Western Washington University. At this time, 40 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 40 countries are represented at WWU. The most popular countries sending students to the school are Japan, China, and South Korea.
Online Learning at Western Washington University
The following chart shows how the online learning population at WWU has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 7th most popular in Washington for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.
Online Affordability Rankings of WWU
During the most recent year for which we have data, the full-time undergraduate tuition at Western Washington University was $8,508 for in-state students. Out-of-state students paid $25,266. The following table shows how WWU is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Human Services | #7 | #57 |
Online Growth Rankings of WWU
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at Western Washington University was -3.0%. This is the #1,892 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at WWU regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of WWU majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
Major | 1-Year Growth Rate |
---|---|
Educational Administration | 32% |
Human Services | 15% |
Public Administration & Social Service | 15% |
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at WWU ranks compared to all other partially online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at WWU.
Major | Growth Rate Rank | |
---|---|---|
Human Services | #139 |
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
Western Washington University Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Bobak Ha’Eri under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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