Western Washington University in Bellingham is an acclaimed public university in Washington. WWU, or “Western”, has a seventy-one percent acceptance rate. Their 13 varsity sports teams compete in the NCAA Division II in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. They are known as the Vikings and the colors of the school are western blue, bay blue, and white. 

Academics 

The university offers many programs: Business and Economics, Fine and Performance Arts, Science, Engineering, Education, Environment, Interdisciplinary Studies, and other independent programs. Of all the programs at WWU, the one that most interests me is their journalism program. I am not sure specifically what sort of journalism I might want to pursue, personally that is why I find this college interesting. WWU provides three options in the field of journalism: News/Editorial (BA), Visual Journalism (BA), and Public Relations (BA). All three programs have provided award-winning alumni. 

Campus 

The 220-acre WWU campus is in the suburbs of Bellingham Washington (population about 80,000) near the San Juan islands. The city of Bellingham is conveniently about an hour away from Seattle, Vancouver, and Mount Baker with plenty of things to do. On-campus facilities include air pollution, motor vehicle, marine research, and neutron generator labs, as well as a wind tunnel, an electronic music studio, and an electron microscope. They have many interesting club sports aside from their varsity sports programs that you might not find in Montana, such as rowing, sailing, judo, wake boarding, and water skiing. 

Admissions 

Unlike any previous “College of the Week:” article, I decided to spotlight the admissions aspect of the university instead of its athletics. According to the WWU website, the total cost of tuition for out-of-state students (plus additional expenses) is about $35,281. That is an expensive price, compared to the tuition for Washington residents,which is about $15,000 cheaper. Many students live in Washington for a year to gain residency. 89% of bachelors degree recipients from Western are either employed or continuing their education within 6 months of graduating, as proven by the 2016-2017 Graduate Outcomes Report.   

For more information about WWU academics, athletics, or admissions, click here.