by our College Data Analytics TeamMost students are not billed the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The price tag of going to Western Washington University can appear overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students obtain some kind of financial aid.
Just what financial aid solutions can WWU deliver, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep reading for answers. Scroll down to see what amount of financial assistance could be accessible to you.
Eligibility for aid and scholarships is driven mostly by your household’s income and need. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Western Washington University.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
Looking at the entering class at Western Washington University, 95% of new full-time first-years were awarded at least some aid approximately 2964 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 93% | $6,902 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 90% | $3,995 |
| Federal Pell grants | 21% | $5,323 |
| State/local grants | 29% | $5,689 |
| Federal student loans | 36% | $4,901 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. Across the undergraduate body at WWU, some 58% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $9,066 (for some 8000 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 58% | $9,066 |
| Federal Pell grants | 21% | $5,165 |
| Federal student loans | 29% | $5,951 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $9,166.
Because need-based aid scales with family income, what students actually pay differs sharply across income brackets.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $11,967 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $14,618 |
| Over $75,000 | $24,481 |
Each amount is the average cost remaining once grant aid is subtracted, by income band.
Net price is the cost remaining after grant and scholarship aid is subtracted from the sticker price, and it is the most useful single number for estimating real cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $21,193 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $18,680 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit WWU’s official net price calculator: [tcc.ruffalonl.com/Western Washington University/Freshman-Students](https://tcc.ruffalonl.com/Western Washington University/Freshman-Students).
The median federal debt load at WWU comes to $13,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $13,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $18,500 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $196.13/mo |
Spreading the median graduate debt over a standard 10-year repayment schedule works out to roughly the monthly payment shown above.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. These percentiles trace how cumulative federal debt is spread among borrowers at WWU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,666 |
| 25th percentile | $7,000 |
| 75th percentile | $24,424 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,438 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,477 |
| Middle income | $13,000 |
| High income | $14,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $16,728 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at WWU.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. The totals below capture Stafford lending at WWU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 35880 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $579,811,627 |
Military-affiliated students can tap the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 336 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $2,423,997 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $7,214 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 3 |
| Total DoD amount | $8,750 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,917 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.