Washburn University
Washburn University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Washburn University Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Small Colleges in Kansas 2026
- #2 Kansas' Best Online Colleges 2026
- #4 Kansas's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #4 Best Colleges in Kansas 2026
- #4 Best Public Colleges in Kansas 2026
- #4 Most Affordable Colleges in Kansas
- #4 Best Research Universities in Kansas 2026
- #5 Online Bachelor’s in Human Services
- #8 Online Bachelor’s in Health Science
- #47 Best Public Colleges
About Washburn University
According to Wikipedia, Washburn University is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 undergraduate students and nearly 800 graduate students. The university's assets include a $158 million endowment.
Washburn University's Online Degrees
BAS in Technology Administration
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Criminal Justice
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BAS in Human Services
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BIS in Integrated Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BHS in Health Science
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
Washburn University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Retention Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| 68% | 52% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Washburn University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $10,256 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $9,829 |
| 30K - 48K | $9,121 |
| 48K - 75K | $10,351 |
| 75K - 110K | $11,840 |
| 110K+ | $16,075 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Washburn University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Washburn University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $53,102 a year, and 91% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Washburn University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 6,517 | 5,702 | 815 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Washburn University?
Washburn University is located at 1700 SW College Avenue, Topeka, KS 66621.
How Safe is Washburn University?
Relative to its enrollment, Washburn University has a violent crime rate of 0.05% and a property crime rate of 0.03%. Topeka has a violent crime rate of 0.86% and a property crime rate of 3.66%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Washburn University Known For?
Washburn University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Law
- Literature
- Criminal Justice
- Business
- Communications
- Medical
- History
- Political Science
- Education
- Engineering
- Chemistry
- Psychology
- Computer Science
- Nursing
- Physics
- Philosophy
- Biology
- Economics
- Sociology
- Religious Studies
- Anthropology
- Mathematics
- Social Work
Washburn University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Washburn University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Washburn University ranks #198 in the U.S. and #618 worldwide for influence in Law.
Washburn University ranks #248 in the U.S. and #713 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesWashburn University ranks #284 in the U.S. and #511 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesWashburn University ranks #285 in the U.S. and #979 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesWashburn University ranks #340 in the U.S. and #1233 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesWashburn University ranks #372 in the U.S. and #1322 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesWashburn University ranks #387 in the U.S. and #1084 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesWashburn University ranks #400 in the U.S. and #1618 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesWashburn University ranks #423 in the U.S. and #1791 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesWashburn University ranks #547 in the U.S. and #3231 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWashburn University ranks #555 in the U.S. and #2666 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesWashburn University ranks #564 in the U.S. and #1469 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesWashburn University ranks #600 in the U.S. and #2733 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesWashburn University ranks #626 in the U.S. and #1639 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesWashburn University ranks #657 in the U.S. and #2867 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesWashburn University ranks #701 in the U.S. and #2352 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesWashburn University ranks #716 in the U.S. and #3107 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesWashburn University ranks #731 in the U.S. and #4300 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesWashburn University ranks #808 in the U.S. and #2719 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesWashburn University ranks #839 in the U.S. and #3889 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWashburn University ranks #842 in the U.S. and #2586 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesWashburn University ranks #1057 in the U.S. and #4100 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesWashburn University ranks #1343 in the U.S. and #3266 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesWho Are Washburn University's Most Influential Alumni?
Washburn University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Law, and Literature. Here are some of Washburn University's most famous alumni:
- Larry Niven
- An American writer.
- Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr.
- An American pharmacologist.
- Carl Rowan
- An American journalist .
- Bob Dole
- An American politician .
- John Brooks Slaughter
- An American electrical engineer.
- Don W. Wilson
- An Archivist of the United States.
- Georgia Louise Harris Brown
- An American architect .
- Robert Soucy
- An American historian.
- Kerry Livgren
- An American guitarist .
- Walter Broadnax
- An American academic administrator.
- Karl Bowman
- An American psychiatric researcher.
- Sokoni Karanja
- A Child development expert.
