Quad
Washington State UniversityPullman, WA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Psychology, General (8% of graduates). 15 students for every faculty member, more than at 66% of colleges. 84% of faculty are full-time. Spends $11,856 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

5,178 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 27% of graduates; 86 programs in 26 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Psychology, General 42.01018.4% 436
    Graduates in this field earn $56,681 4 years out
  2. Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 51.38015.6% 290
    Graduates in this field earn $91,495 4 years out
  3. Marketing/Marketing Management, General 52.14014.7% 241
    Graduates in this field earn $76,595 4 years out
  4. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01014.5% 231
    Graduates in this field earn $60,418 4 years out
  5. Accounting 52.03014.3% 221
    Graduates in this field earn $75,980 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 1.6% → 6.3% of graduates since 2014–15 (324 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. Computer Science$119,686 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $79,519

    4 years after completion$119,686
    National median: $107,009Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $91,496 · Non-Pell: $102,867(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $20,000 · 370 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer Engineering$114,635 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $87,135

    4 years after completion$114,635
    National median: $109,015Above typical

    Median federal debt: $19,902 · 82 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Construction Management$107,531 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$107,531
    National median: $95,124Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $84,346 · Non-Pell: $100,033(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report

  4. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$104,354 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $79,874

    4 years after completion$104,354
    National median: $100,647About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $90,586 · Non-Pell: $84,405(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $18,546 · 181 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Chemical Engineering$99,506 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $69,820

    4 years after completion$99,506
    National median: $98,158About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $79,611 · Non-Pell: $87,292(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $22,500 · 60 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 faculty84%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$100,179

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$11,856
$11,856
← Lessmore than 62% of 557More →
Endowment per student$55,094
$55,094
← Lessmore than 91% 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)