Washburn University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Topeka, Kansas · Public · Unknown · CDS 2024-2025

Acceptance rate
Avg SAT
In-state tuition
$9,578
per year, before aid
Net price (avg)
$13,046
after aid, what families pay
Quick answer

Washburn University is a public university in Topeka, Kansas. The average family pays about $13,046 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Health and Medical Administrative Services and Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 1.8 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.

Washburn University is a public institution located in Topeka, Kansas. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $13,046 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Washburn University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.

What GPA does my child need for Washburn University?

Successful applicants to Washburn University typically present unweighted GPAs at or near 4.0 with the most rigorous course load their school offers, including multiple AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.

SAT and ACT scores Washburn University typically admits

Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.

How much does Washburn University actually cost?

Published tuition is $9,578 for in-state students and $20,582 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $10,759 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $13,046 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 31% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.

Average net price (after aid)$13,046

Application deadlines and early decision data for Washburn University

Regular admission

Most popular majors at Washburn University

The most popular undergraduate programs at Washburn University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Health and Medical Administrative Services and Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. Across all programs, Washburn University confers roughly 431 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing program report a median income of about $74,200 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.

MajorGraduates / yearMedian earnings (5 yrs out)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing152$74,200
Health and Medical Administrative Services52$53,065
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness48$48,649
Communication and Media Studies44$49,261
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods36$47,711
Finance and Financial Management Services36$67,917
Criminal Justice and Corrections32$49,044
Marketing31$61,715
Bachelor's-degree completions from federal IPEDS data; earnings from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Is Washburn University safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Washburn University disclosed 8 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 1.8 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 2 violent offenses and 3 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.

Total offenses
8
1.8 per 1,000 students
Violent crime
2
0.44 per 1,000
Sexual assault / VAWA
3
0.66 per 1,000
Burglary
1
reported incidents
Clery Act disclosures (2024) cover on-campus, noncampus, and adjacent public-property incidents; rates use an enrollment of 4,562 students.

Other colleges in Kansas parents ask about

How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Washburn University

Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Washburn University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.

Common questions parents ask about Washburn University

What GPA do I need for Washburn University?

Successful applicants to Washburn University typically present unweighted GPAs at or near 4.0 with the most rigorous course load their school offers, including multiple AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses.

What SAT or ACT score does Washburn University typically admit?

Washburn University does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.

How much does Washburn University actually cost after financial aid?

The average net price at Washburn University after grants and scholarships is $13,046 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.

Is Washburn University realistic for my child?

Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Washburn University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.

Is Washburn University a public or private school, and where is it located?

Washburn University is a public institution located in Topeka, Kansas.

What are the most popular majors at Washburn University?

The largest undergraduate majors at Washburn University by annual graduates are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Health and Medical Administrative Services and Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. The school awards about 431 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.

Is Washburn University safe? What is its campus crime rate?

Washburn University reported 8 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 1.8 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.

Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Washburn University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.