Economical Education

Money magazine weighs in on why Eastern is a high-value performer.

Here in Washington, it’s no secret that Eastern is a premier destination for top-notch instruction at value-conscious prices.

Now, thanks to a recent ranking from Money magazine, students around the nation can appreciate the bang-for-your-buck benefits that come with being an Eagle.

As part of its annual higher education assessment, Money analyzed more than 700 of the nation’s colleges and universities to determine “quality and affordability.” Their assessment measured dozens of data points in areas such as graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid and alumni salaries. Eastern received four stars, reflecting “high performance.”

“We are incredibly pleased that Money magazine has recognized Eastern Washington University for providing a quality education at a more affordable cost,” said EWU’s president, Shari McMahan, in a statement issued after the magazine released its findings this fall.

More than 2,400 colleges were part of the value appraisal. To make Money’s initial cut, a college had to have more than 500 enrolled students; provide reliable data to be analyzed; be free of financial distress; and have a graduation rate that was at, or above, the median for its institutional category.

Eastern had no problem meeting those criteria, McMahan said. EWU has great data, is financially sound and graduates an average of 2,000 students each year. More to the point, she added, a significant portion of these graduates are first-generation students whose lives will be forever changed by their Eastern experience. For them especially, “earning a degree is even more transformative,” she said.