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The Evergreen State College

The Evergreen State College

Olympia, WA · Suburb · 2,160 students
WebsiteCommon AppForbes rankingScorecard
Application deadlines: Check the admissions site
$24,319
Average net priceYour net price
In-state · 2023-24
<30
30–48
48–75
75–110
110+
By household income — tap a bar
43%
Graduation rate
Entered fall 2017 & 2018
52% typical
$45,320
Earnings 10 years on
Measured 2020 & 2021
$51,562 typical
96%
Acceptance rate
Applied for fall 2024
81% typical · not scored
Accredited by Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
About

The Evergreen State College is nationally renowned for its highly non-traditional, interdisciplinary approach to the liberal arts, where students receive detailed narrative evaluations instead of letter grades and design their own thematic paths of study. Capitalizing on its stunning 1,000-acre campus of Pacific Northwest forest and saltwater beach, the college boasts exceptionally strong, hands-on programs in environmental studies, ecological sciences, and media arts. The student experience is defined by a deeply collaborative, progressive, and socially conscious culture where learners take just one comprehensive, team-taught "program" per quarter rather than separate, isolated classes, fostering a close-knit and intellectually adventurous community.

Wikipedia:The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Thurston County, Washington, with an Olympia postal address. Founded in 1967, and offering classes in the fall of 1971, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a predetermined path of study. Full-time students can enroll in interdisciplinary academic programs, in addition to stand-alone classes. Programs typically offer students the opportunity to study several disciplines in a coordinated manner. Faculty write substantive narrative evaluations of students' work in place of issuing grades.

Location
Olympia, WA, 98505-0001 · Suburb campus
✈
Nearest airport from college
SEA · Seattle
41 mi away
Open in Google Maps
Cost & aid
Cost of attendance
In-stateOut-of-state
Tuition & fees$9,264$31,905
Housing & food (on campus)$14,589$14,589
Books & supplies$528$528
Cost of attendance$28,477$57,792
Average net price$24,319Not published
Out-of-state prices
Tuition & fees$31,905
In-state: $9,264
Housing & food (on campus)$14,589
Books & supplies$528
Cost of attendance$57,792
In-state: $28,477
Average net priceNot published
In-state: $24,319
Source: U.S. College Scorecard · published total: www.evergreen.edu
How it’s made up · out-of-state, 2026-27
The Evergreen State College’s own figures for 2026 - 2027, newer than the 2024-25 federal figures above, so the amounts differ.
Tuition$32,805
Fees$1,416
Housing$12,585
Food$5,594
Books & supplies$542
Personal expenses$1,955
Transportation$2,895
Total published by the school$57,792
Net price by family income · in-state students, 2023-24
$0–30k
$22,079
$30–48k
$22,607
$48–75k
$25,723
$75–110k
$27,346
$110k+
$28,477
Merit aid · 2024-25
Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.
Average award$2,612
First-years who got one16
Source: The Evergreen State College's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures (PDF).
Outcomes
Completion
Within 6 yrs
43%
Entered 2017–18
Within 4 yrs
30%
Back for yr 2
70%
Transferred
0%
8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students
42% graduated · 34% transferred · 1% still enrolled · 22% left or unknown
Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021
6 yrs after entry$34,774
10 yrs after entry$45,320
Debt
Median at graduation$20,500
Monthly payment$217
Middle 50% owe$5.6k–$21.3k
90th percentile$29,300
Admissions
Getting in · applied for fall 2024
Admit rate
96%
Test policy
Test optional
Per College Scorecard
SAT average
1216
R 540–663 · M 495–590
ACT midpoint
23
Comp 23–29 · E 23–30 · M 19–26
SAT middle 50%: 1035–1253
40080012001600

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Essay prompts

If The Evergreen State College asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the Common App.

The personal essay is separate: see the Common App essay prompts.

Student Body
Gender
Men 39%Women 61%
Who enrolls
Faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell grant
42%
First-gen
30%
Family income
$22,200
Independent
49%
Veterans
1%
Age at entry
26.0
Part-time
9%
Race & ethnicity
White
56%
Hispanic
15%
Black
7%
Asian
2%
Two or more
8%
AI/AN
4%
NH/PI
1%
Unknown
7%
Varsity sports
NAIA Division I · EADA 2024-25
  • Basketball
    Men's · Women's
  • Soccer
    Men's · Women's
  • Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
    Men's · Women's
  • Volleyball
    Women's
  • Wrestling
    Men's · Women's
Programs & Earnings
Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings
Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021
After 6 yrs
$34,774
After 10 yrs
$45,320
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities363
Biological and Physical Sciences95
Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.
Institutional
Resources
Endowment
$25M
Full-time faculty
70%
Faculty salary
$9,212/mo
Teaching spend
$11,647
per student
Federal loans
40%
Classification
Carnegie type
Master's (medium programs)
Undergraduate profile
Four-year, inclusive admissions

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