Ellensburg, WA · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for Central Washington University
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what a SmartTuition plan could save a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
In this range the College Grant for a Washington family of four falls from $8,615 a year at Central Washington University to $861 (2026-27). A family near the top of the range gets less aid than this average.
Four years here, after grants
$82,750
A SmartTuition plan could save a family like this about $3,500.
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester, using your own numbers.
Build your SmartTuition plan for Central Washington University, $99 →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get the monthly email.
A family of four with good credit and $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at Central Washington University
| Full price, in state | $28,110 |
| Full price, out of state | $48,015 |
| After grants, at your income | $19,397 |
At this income, 5 of Washington's other 18 colleges cost less after grants, and 13 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Washington's College Grant. For a Washington family of four, tuition and most fees at $83,500 or less; less above that, and none over $139,500.
Merit scholarships. In state: $2,000 a year for two years, from a 3.0 GPA (and 3 more below).
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
At Central Washington University, our scenarios for Washington households with good parent credit show a SmartTuition plan saving a median of about $7,300 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
Considering more than one college?
Put the schools you are considering on one list and we price each of them for your family. It is free. It asks what you earn and what you have saved, never your name.
Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What Central Washington University says it awards for grades and test scores.
In state: $2,000 a year for two years, from a 3.0 GPA
GPA 3.0 or higher $2,000 a year Crimson Scholarship Your student must confirm admission by May 1. To keep it, your student needs a 2.75 GPA in college. Your student must live in a residence hall both years.
From Idaho or Oregon: $18,600 a year, from a 3.0 GPA
GPA 3.0 or higher $18,600 a year Pacific Northwest Scholarship Your student must confirm admission for fall by May 1. To keep it, your student needs a 2.75 GPA in college.
From other states: $15,000 a year, from a 3.0 GPA
GPA 3.0 or higher $15,000 a year Destination Central To keep it, your student needs a 2.75 GPA in college.
From other western states: $15,000 to $15,467 a year, from a 3.0 GPA
GPA 3.8 or higher $15,467 a year Wildcat WUE GPA 3.0 or higher $15,000 a year Destination Central To keep it, your student needs a 2.75 GPA in college.
Enter your student's GPA in our college comparison to see these scholarships beside your family's price.
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with good parent credit and $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what Central Washington University reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit.
The $7,300 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving in Central Washington University's own scenarios. Each scenario is a household that lives in Washington, with an income from $45,000 to $200,000 and savings of none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price Central Washington University at the aid it reports for that income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. The card above uses the same two. A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out.
Why the dates matter
Washington sets your grant from the income on the FAFSA, which uses your tax return from two years before college starts.
Source: Washington Student Achievement Council
“For the 2026-27 FAFSA or WASFA, use the household income reported on your 2024 taxes.”
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: Central Washington University's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2025-26 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
Central Washington University's own budget for 2026-27 is $30,058 in state and $49,383 out of state. It also counts costs the university doesn't bill for, such as travel and personal spending. We leave those out.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Central Washington University. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- Eastern Washington University$17,203 a year
- Northwest University$18,000 a year
- Central Washington University$19,397 a year
- Western Washington University$19,574 a year
- Washington State University$20,003 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every Washington college →