Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Cheney

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Aerial - Cheney, WA 02 - white balanced (9796305533)Photo: Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Cheney

Cheney is a college town: 34 of every 100 residents are students

Eastern Washington University (7,655 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Washington, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town34% of residents are studentsEastern Washington University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Cheney. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
3
16,787 students on campus
Nearest college
0.1 mi
Eastern Washington University
Residents in college
34%
Above WA (6%)
Nearest community college
14 mi
Spokane Falls · $5,461 tuition
Nearest public university
0.1 mi
Eastern Washington University · $8,586 in-state
Students on campus in Cheney
7,655
next to 12,650 residents

What stands out about college in Cheney

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town34 of every 100 Cheney residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.A university in CheneyEastern Washington University has 7,655 students on campus in Cheney, 43% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Eastern Washington UniversityLiving in Washington, Eastern Washington University charges $8,586 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $25,959. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 14 miles awaySpokane Falls Community College in Spokane: tuition and fees $5,461 a year for Washington residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Cheney

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

34 of every 100 Cheney residents are in college (WA: 6).

7,655students on campus at Eastern Washington University, next to 12,650 residents (dorm students count as residents)
2,926college students live in Cheney households rather than dorms
24.4median age · WA 38.3
53%of residents are women · WA 50% (±3 points)
65%of homes rented · WA 36%
$1,156median rent · 34% below the state
CheneyCheney, WA
Cost of living$1,156/mo median rentC−SafetyCrime reported to the FBICHealthCDC estimatesB+Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundCHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Cheney’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 30.9% of Cheney residents are below the poverty line, 18.1% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 9 points either way). 66% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C−

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (34% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health B+

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Cheney’s median age is 24.4 (Washington 38.3), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Cheney

One private college within 14.8 miles, one public college within 0.1 miles, and Spokane Falls Community College 14 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miEastern Washington UniversityGonzaga UniversitySpokane FallsCheney
University or collegeCommunity college
Eastern Washington UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 7,655 on campus · In Cheney91%admitted$14knet price43%graduate$58kearningsSpokane Falls Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,417 on campus · 14 mi · Spokane$7knet price32%graduate$39kearningsTuition and fees: $5,461 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Gonzaga UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 6,715 on campus · 14.8 mi · Spokane82%admitted$35knet price86%graduate$79kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Cheney’s median household income ($54,503) falls.

Spokane Falls Community College14 mi · Spokane · sticker $15,685 · tuition $5,461$8,274a year
Eastern Washington UniversityIn Cheney · sticker $24,478$12,292a year
Gonzaga University14.8 mi · Spokane · sticker $73,178$25,106a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Cheney: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Eastern Washington UniversitySpokane FallsGonzaga University
Eastern Washington University43% graduate$58k earnings$20k typical debt
Gonzaga University86% graduate$79k earnings$24k typical debt
Spokane Falls Community College32% graduate$39k earnings$12k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Cheney

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Eastern Washington University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Business 15%Education 11%Psychology 11%Social sciences 8%Biology 8%Health professions 8%Everything else 40%

Biggest programs

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas127 graduates a year
$58k4 yrs out
Psychology, General108 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Biology, General100 graduates a year
$56k4 yrs out
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences93 graduates a year
$61k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations81 graduates a year
$66k4 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General77 graduates a year
$96k4 yrs out
Communication and Media Studies65 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out
Accounting and Related Services65 graduates a year
$76k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Cheney

Is Cheney a college town?

Yes. 34 of every 100 Cheney residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Washington. Eastern Washington University has 7,655 students on campus, next to 12,650 residents.

What colleges are in Cheney?

Eastern Washington University is inside the city. Spokane Falls Community College is 14 miles away in Spokane.

Why is Cheney’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 30.9% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 18.1% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 9 points).

What is the closest community college to Cheney, and what does it cost?

Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane, 14 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,461 a year for Washington residents; the federal net price, $7,409, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Eastern Washington University?

Eastern Washington University admitted 91% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Cheney. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →