+14%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Western Michigan University rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($13.4k → $15.3k).
Michigan · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan. 12,704 undergraduate students. 230 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Western Michigan University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Western Michigan University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (2.0% → 0.0%).
+14%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Western Michigan University rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($16.8k → $19.0k).
-12%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at Western Michigan University fell 12% between 2021 and 2024 (14.3k → 12.6k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Michigan
Each tile compares this institution to the Michigan median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$53,562+18% · 6→10y
Michigan median $38,167$45,356
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry57.8%+10% · '97→'24
Michigan median 57.1%$20,115+260% · '97→'20
At program completion12,704-36% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS79.8%+8% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time84.7%+1% · '01→'24
latest cohort$15,298+273% · '00→'24
out-of-state $19,098SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
5.0%Median federal debt $20,115 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $53,562 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+39%
Western Michigan University · completion · 100% rose
15.6% → 21.7%
-36%
Western Michigan University · undergrad enrollment fell
19,581 → 12,568
+273%
Western Michigan University · in-state tuition rose
$4,094 → $15,252
+104%
Western Michigan University · out-of-state tuition rose
$9,332 → $19,034
+260%
Western Michigan University · median debt rose
$7,268 → $26,188
-100%
Western Michigan University · cohort default rate fell
5.2% → 0.0%
+22%
Western Michigan University · pell share rose
22.0% → 26.8%
+22%
Western Michigan University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$37,200 → $45,356
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$117,765Business Administration, Management and Operations.$108,642Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology.$104,633Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.$100,965Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering.$97,447Computer Science.$93,924Educational Administration and Supervision.$93,629Mechanical Engineering.$91,489Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians.$91,015Accounting and Related Services.$87,422Engineering-Related Fields.$87,289Chemical Engineering.$83,294Industrial Engineering.$82,100Civil Engineering.$80,962Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians.$80,748Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$79,100Air Transportation.$77,215Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies.$77,085Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions.$74,993Computer and Information Sciences, General.$73,822Business Administration, Management and Operations.$73,821Finance and Financial Management Services.$70,882Accounting and Related Services.$70,283Marketing.$70,079
Showing top 24 of 71 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
71 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$49,919Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$62,252Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$45,552Educational Administration and Supervision.$65,904Student Counseling and Personnel Services.$52,519Special Education and Teaching.$63,012Educational Administration and Supervision.$93,629Special Education and Teaching.$49,952
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15
FOREIGN LANGUAGES · CIP 16
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
MECHANIC & REPAIR TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 47
TRANSPORTATION & MATERIALS MOVING · CIP 49
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions.$62,758Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$79,100Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions.$63,242Health and Medical Administrative Services.$57,666Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions.$74,993Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$117,765Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.$60,685Communication Disorders Sciences and Services.$57,569Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services.$51,000Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$49,798Medical Illustration and Informatics.$69,645Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions.$61,777
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
Marketing.$70,079Business Administration, Management and Operations.$73,821Finance and Financial Management Services.$70,882Accounting and Related Services.$70,283Business Administration, Management and Operations.$108,642Human Resources Management and Services.$58,556Accounting and Related Services.$87,422
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Western Michigan University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$584,924
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 8
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $18,710
- HS-only baseline · MI
- $36,900
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 52
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Michigan
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Western Michigan University graduates earn $X” — not “Western Michigan University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Western Michigan University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.