The affordability of a college education continues to improve at Washington State University, thanks to investments in financial aid made by federal, state and philanthropic partners over the last decade.
WSU has been fundraising for student financial aid for decades upon decades. And the state, after a massive run up in tuition directed by the Legislature during the Great Recession, began its own affordability campaign beginning in 2015 with a fully-funded tuition buy down. The introduction of the Washington College Grant in 2019 and its subsequent expansion has fueled a decade-long winning streak that has seen affordability metrics for resident undergraduates improve again and again. New figures show the trend is continuing. Since 2015:
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The percentage of resident undergraduates graduating without any debt known to the university has increased from 35.6 percent to 57.1 percent.
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For those graduating with debt, average debts have fallen from $25,231 to $23,092 in real dollars not adjusted for inflation during that same period – a drop of about 45 percent when adjusted for inflation.
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The number of resident undergraduate students taking out any loans known to WSU within an academic year has fallen from 53.2 percent to 32.7 percent.
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The percentage of resident undergraduate students who pay no tuition has grown from 32 percent in 2015 to 41 percent.
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The percentage of resident undergraduate students paying full tuition has shrunk from 38 percent to 30 percent.
Investments through programs such as the Washington College Grant, the Pell Grant, and proceeds from the university’s endowment have all contributed to improve access for Washington students attending Washington State University.