---
title: Willamette University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Salem, OR
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Willamette University

Salem, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $56,911 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $30,585 – $85,316 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $18,913 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,277 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 71% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $67,501 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 82% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.33× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $28,911 | derived |

**71% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $18,913 (≈ 33% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $20,615 to $66,562 across 14 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $66,562 | $72,115 |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $53,741 | $162,945 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,206 | $21,791 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,011 | $20,915 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,509 | $19,500 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,482 | $20,500 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,357 | $23,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,490 | $21,500 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,204 | $21,750 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,078 | $25,343 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,292 | $21,511 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,333 | not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,094 | $20,250 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,615 | $24,547 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Willamette University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?210401

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/willamette-university-or.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`