Applied Mathematics at Western Washington University

The $60,930 first-year earnings figure here comes from national benchmarks rather than WWU's actual graduate outcomes, which creates significant uncertainty when the one Washington school with reported data—WSU—shows graduates earning just $27,626. That's a $33,000 gap that suggests either the national median doesn't translate well to Washington's market, or applied math programs produce wildly different results depending on how they're structured and where graduates land. With an estimated debt load of $21,000, you're looking at manageable borrowing if earnings trend toward the national average, but a debt-to-earnings ratio that could balloon to 0.76 if outcomes mirror WSU's instead.

The lack of school-specific data here matters more than usual because applied mathematics graduates' trajectories vary enormously based on whether they pursue software development, data science, finance roles, or graduate school. WWU's location in Bellingham—over 90 miles from Seattle's tech corridor—could shape both internship access and job placement in ways the national median doesn't capture. The 91% admission rate suggests this isn't drawing the most competitive cohort, though the 1235 average SAT indicates solid quantitative preparation.

Before committing, your child needs to dig into where WWU's applied math graduates actually work and what specific technical skills the curriculum emphasizes. The difference between a $28,000 salary and a $61,000 one fundamentally changes whether this degree pays off.