by our College Data Analytics TeamCentral Washington University is a public institution in Ellensburg, Washington enrolling 7,833 undergraduates. It accepts 91% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 54%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #401 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 8%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Central Washington University ranks #401 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 8%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Central Washington University was awarded 158 badges in the 2027 rankings.
CWU is ranked #401 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.
CWU is also ranked #10 on the Best Colleges in Washington list.
See all of the rankings for Central Washington University.
Central Washington University has an acceptance rate of 91%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for CWU.
Learn more about Central Washington University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Central Washington University is about average at 15 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Central Washington University is 65%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Central Washington University is 70%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At CWU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 54%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Central Washington University.
The current enrollment includes 7,833 undergraduates at CWU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Central Washington University.
The typical net cost at CWU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $11,846 | $13,942 | $16,022 | $21,682 | $26,719 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of CWU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
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 CWU, approximately 31% of students took out student loans averaging $6,354 a year. That adds up to $25,416 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 7.1%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Central Washington University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University make about $61,580 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. That’s great news for Central Washington University students since it is 25% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Central Washington University make the most money.
Central Washington University is a public institution found in Ellensburg, Washington. Ellensburg is a great place for students who enjoy small town life. Get more details about the location of Central Washington University.
Contact details for Central Washington University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 400 East University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926 |
| Phone: | 5099631111 |
| Website: | www.cwu.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Washington_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/cwu.wildcats |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/CentralWashU |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 27 majors graduated from Central Washington University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 2,506 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 253 | $44,355 |
| General Psychology | 240 | $30,225 |
| Computer Information Systems | 213 | $50,542 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 179 | $47,716 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 131 | $44,714 |
| Health & Physical Education | 114 | $31,750 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 106 | $39,307 |
| Music | 78 | $31,645 |
| General Education | 77 | NA |
5,885 students took at least one online class at Central Washington University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Central Washington University.
Interested in comparing CWU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*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.
References