Is a teacher education degree from Western Washington University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 41% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 61%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Washington programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Western Washington University Teacher Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Western Washington University teacher education graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 13 teacher education bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $233 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Western Washington University teacher education graduates stay in Washington?

Most do. 97% (56 of 58) were working in Washington one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
Public university
Bellingham, WA
About 43 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Western Washington University teacher education graduates earn more than graduates of most teacher education programs nationally, $53,133 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $22,000 in federal loans, less than at 81% of teacher education programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying teacher education degrees in Washington.

First-year earnings$53,13397th percentile of 655 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$68,55629% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,0008th lowest of 13 Washington programs

Debt-to-earnings41%Washington median 47%, national 61%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Washington and national columns are the medians across all teacher education bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Western Washington University	Washington	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$53,133	$44,922	$41,955
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$68,556	$62,306	$46,679
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,000	$20,885	$26,075
Debt as share of first-year pay	41%	47%	61%
Programs compared		14	655

Five years out, Western Washington University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,251 more than the Washington median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Washington teacher education program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Washington medians.

Western Washington UniversityOther Washington programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 29% between the first and fifth year.

Western Washington University grads, year 1$53,133

Western Washington University grads, year 5$68,556

All Washington teacher education grads, year 5$62,306

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$56,464Median debt $21,830

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$43,901Median debt $23,711

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $233 a month, or 5.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (51 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $25,550.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

97% of graduates (56 of 58) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Bellingham area are about 3% above the national average, so a $53,133 salary here buys what about $51,419 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to teacher education, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

$102,350

Median pay in Washington. 28,980 people work in this job in Washington. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 87,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,610Top 10%: $127,570

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$102,670

Median pay in Washington. 14,880 people work in this job in Washington. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $62,950Top 10%: $128,410

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$102,140

Median pay in Washington. 10,510 people work in this job in Washington. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 38,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $65,250Top 10%: $128,170

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

$45,660

Median pay in Washington. 13,210 people work in this job in Washington. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,080Top 10%: $60,130

About Western Washington University

In-state tuition and fees	$9,582 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$28,707 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,193 / year
Admission rate	93%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	13,544

Teacher Education ranks 10th of 52 bachelor's programs at Western Washington University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($80,808), Electrical Engineering ($77,516), and Information Technology ($72,675).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $53,133 one year after graduating and $68,556 five years after. The median across teacher education bachelor's programs in Washington is $44,922.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Washington comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the teacher education program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Teacher Education bachelor's programs in Washington, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Teacher Education bachelor's programs in the US, ranked655 programs by pay and debt All Western Washington University programs, ranked53 programs by pay and debt