Public Graduate Good 66/100

Westfield State University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Westfield, Massachusetts

About Westfield State University

Thinking about Westfield State University, a college in Massachusetts where more students graduate in Criminal Justice than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Westfield State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Westfield, Massachusetts. It enrolls 3,615 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
81.4%
Graduation
60.9%
Net Price
$16,721
Median Earnings (10yr)
$57,346
Enrollment
3,615
Student : Faculty
15:1

Accreditor New England Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
66/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 39
Value 73
Affordability 59
Selectivity 26

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Westfield State University admits 81.4% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
81.4%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Westfield State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 6.4 pts since 2019
87.2%201992.4%202094.4%202181.5%202280.7%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $16,721 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$16,721
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
33%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
51%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$12,179
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$18,259
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,018
Room & Board (off-campus)
$13,979
Books & Supplies
$1,200
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,381
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,652
Total Cost of Attendance
$27,649

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $10,751
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $11,517
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $14,199
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $18,201
  • Over $110,000
    $23,286

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,751
10% percentile
$5,710
25% percentile
$22,457
Median percentile
$26,261
75% percentile
$27,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $15,750 ↓ $6,707
No Pell $15,000 ↓ $7,457
Dependent students $16,533 ↓ $5,924
Independent students $11,193 ↓ $11,264
Female students $16,235 ↓ $6,222
Male students $14,501 ↓ $7,956
Pell recipients: 17.7% (3,965 students)No Pell: 16.8% (3,776 students)Dependent students: 18.5% (4,162 students)Independent students: 12.5% (2,818 students)Female students: 18.2% (4,087 students)Male students: 16.3% (3,650 students)Overall Median$22,457
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,735, less than completers ($22,457), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

61% of students who start here finish within six years, and 72% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
61%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
72%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $57,346 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$57,346
Earning > $25K
82%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$45,000$49,000$52,000$56,000$59,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$41,800

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$57,000

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$44,500

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$50,200

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$49,700

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $15,200, about 27% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 13.9 pts across 6 years
74.7%1yr80.1%3yr83.9%5yr88.7%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 89% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 3,615 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 31% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
3,615
Part-Time
12%
First-Generation
31%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 68.2% 2,465
Hispanic 15.5% 561
Black 6.8% 246
Other 3.2% 115
Asian 2.4% 87
International 1.1% 38
White: 68.2% (2,465 students)Hispanic: 15.5% (561 students)Black: 6.8% (246 students)Other: 3.2% (115 students)Asian: 2.4% (87 students)International: 1.1% (38 students)Total3,615

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Westfield State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Westfield, Massachusetts
Housing
Mostly residential 2,396 beds on campus
Adult Learners
12% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Education graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Westfield State University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 57 distinct programs across 21 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

3 Programs
6 Programs
4 Programs
1 Program
3 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 15 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
15:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$13,228
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$13M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$71,384
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

196 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 99 51% $80,608
Associate Professors 59 30% $66,743
Assistant Professors 29 15% $55,935
Instructors 9 5% $50,125

Pros & Cons of Westfield State University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Westfield State University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Modest first-year retention
Best for: Based on the data, Westfield State University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Westfield State University

The questions families ask most about Westfield State University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Westfield State University hard to get into?
Not especially. Westfield State University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 81.4%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Westfield State University?
81.4% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Westfield State University cost?
Budget around $16,721 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Westfield State University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $57,346 a year against a net price of $16,721, about 3.4 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Westfield State University known for?
Mostly Criminal Justice, Liberal Arts, Social Work. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Westfield State University graduates earn?
About $57,346 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Westfield State University accredited?
Yes. Westfield State University is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Westfield State University?
3,615 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Westfield State University?
61% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Westfield State University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Westfield State University located?
Westfield State University is located in Westfield, Massachusetts.
What programs does Westfield State University offer?
57 different programs, most commonly Criminal Justice, Liberal Arts, Social Work. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Westfield State University?
15 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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