Quad

Head-to-head

Central Washington
Washington State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Washington State has 2.7× as many undergrads as Central Washington

    Undergrads
  2. 2

    Washington State grads earn $7.3K more ten years out than Central Washington's ($68,905 vs. $61,580)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Central Washington has 6 pts more first-gen students than Washington State (40% vs. 34%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    Washington State graduates 4 pts more of its students than Central Washington (66% vs. 62%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Washington State's grants cover 27% of its full price on average, vs. 24% at Central Washington

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    Central Washington has 1 pts more Pell recipients than Washington State (28% vs. 27%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Washington State admits 87%, Central Washington 91%; both have the same yield, 20%.

Acceptance rate
Central Washington91%
Washington State87%
Quad's selectivity
  • Central WashingtonOpen
  • Washington StateAccessible
SAT middle 50%
Central WashingtonTest-blind
Washington StateTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Central WashingtonGPA and rank required
  • Washington StateGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Washington State has 2.7× as many undergrads as Central Washington; Central Washington has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Central Washington7.8K
Washington State21.1K
Pell Grant share
Central Washington28%
Washington State27%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at Central Washington, and Psychology at Washington State; both have 15 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
Central Washington15 to 1
Washington State15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Central WashingtonBusiness Administration and Management, General12%
  • Washington StatePsychology, General8%

What each costs

Central Washington and Washington State cost about the same a year on average; Washington State's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Central Washington$24.2K
Washington State$24.2K
Aid generosity
Central Washington24%
Washington State27%

What each pays off

Washington State's former students earn more, a median $68.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Central Washington$61.6K
Washington State$68.9K
Graduation rate
Central Washington62%
Washington State66%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Central WashingtonGrowing+116%
  • Washington StateGrowingsince fall 2015+29%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why