Quad
Central Washington UniversityEllensburg, WA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Business Administration and Management, General (12% of graduates). 15 students for every faculty member, more than at 66% of colleges. 65% of faculty are full-time. Spends $11,278 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

2,017 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 42% of graduates; 87 programs in 25 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Business Administration and Management, General 52.020112% 237
    Graduates in this field earn $73,036 4 years out
  2. Psychology, General 42.010111% 223
    Graduates in this field earn $54,530 4 years out
  3. Information Technology 11.01037.7% 155
    Graduates in this field earn $72,838 4 years out
  4. Elementary Education and Teaching 13.12027.2% 145
    Graduates in this field earn $59,659 4 years out
  5. Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 43.01044.7% 95
    Graduates in this field earn $60,761 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 3.9% → 11% of graduates since 2014–15 (213 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians$97,869 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $77,500

    4 years after completion$97,869
    National median: $86,525Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $86,422 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $25,333 · 49 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Construction Management$97,651 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $81,666

    4 years after completion$97,651
    National median: $95,124About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $89,155 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $24,120 · 69 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$97,263 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$97,263
    National median: $70,786Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 26 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Computer Science$95,368 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $52,362

    4 years after completion$95,368
    National median: $107,009Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $75,802 · Non-Pell: $95,198(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $19,435 · 137 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Economics$88,799 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $52,129

    4 years after completion$88,799
    National median: $82,686Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $67,034 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $14,744 · 16 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college15 to 1
15 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 66% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty65%
National median: 67%About typical
Average faculty salary

$91,272

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$11,278
$11,278
← Lessmore than 56% of 557More →
Endowment per student$6,121
$6,121
← Lessmore than 24% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)