FAFSA lower earnings list

Washington schools on the FAFSA “lower earnings” list

12 schools in Washington are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 82 Washington schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 17: 8 came off and 3 were added.

A Washington school is flagged when its graduates’ median earnings four years after completing are below $38,829, the median for Washington high school graduates aged 25 to 34 (March 2026 release, January 2026 dollars). A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median, $34,635, instead.

Data period: March 2026 release, completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023. Nationally: 999 schools flagged now, 1,365 in December 2025. National report and method

Last verified: September 25, 2026.

Flagged in the March 2026 release (12)

Names as the Department lists them. A linked name opens the school’s CampusPin profile, which shows its earnings and benchmark.

  • BJ's Beauty & Barber College
  • Elite Cosmetology Barber & Spa Academy, new since December (had no figure)
  • Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett
  • International Beauty Education Center, new since December (had no figure)
  • Northwest College of Art & Design, new since December (was not flagged)
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Federal Way
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Richland
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Spokane
  • Studio Beauty School
  • Stylemaster College of Hair Design
  • Summit Salon Academy
  • Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology

Flagged in December 2025, not now (8)

The reason is given for each. Because the benchmark and the graduating cohort changed too, coming off is not by itself evidence that graduates earn more.

  • Academy of Interactive Entertainment, now above the benchmark
  • Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle, now above the benchmark
  • Aveda Institute Portland-Vancouver Campus, now above the benchmark
  • Cornish College of the Arts, now above the benchmark
  • Glen Dow Academy of Hair Design, not in the March 2026 list
  • Spokane Falls Community College, now above the benchmark
  • Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline, now above the benchmark
  • UEI College-Tacoma, now above the benchmark

What the notice does and does not mean

  • It is informational: it does not affect federal aid eligibility, and a flagged school can still be listed and attended.
  • It describes a whole school, not a program. The Department says earnings differ by credential and field.
  • It covers graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled when earnings were measured.
  • A school with no earnings figure shows no notice. That is an absence of data, not a pass.
Add the Washington FAFSA notice card to your website (counselors, college-access programs, schools)

Plain HTML with no script and no tracking: the state's flagged count, the previous release and the benchmark, with the notice's caveats and the source, linking back to this page and its full list of schools.

Questions about Washington

How many Washington schools are on the FAFSA lower earnings list?
12 schools in Washington are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 82 Washington schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 17: 8 came off and 3 were added. Every one is named on this page.
Why did 8 schools in Washington come off the list?
Of the 8 schools flagged in December 2025 and not now, 7 now clear the benchmark, 1 is not in the March 2026 list at all. The Department replaced the data on 22 March 2026 with a newer group of graduates (completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023) and a re-estimated high school benchmark, so coming off the list is not by itself evidence that a school's graduates earn more.
What earnings benchmark are Washington schools compared with?
$38,829: the median earnings of Washington high school graduates aged 25 to 34 in the March 2026 release, in January 2026 dollars. The December 2025 release used $39,937, in June 2025 dollars and from an earlier survey, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison. A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median instead, $34,635.
Does the lower earnings notice affect financial aid?
No. The Department says the notice is informational only. It does not affect eligibility for federal aid, the Student Aid Index or how the FAFSA is processed, and students can still list and attend a flagged school. It is shown only to first-year undergraduates.

More on Washington colleges

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Sources, methodology & citation

Data snapshot: March 22, 2026. Last verified: September 25, 2026.

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

Methodology Data dictionary Report a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. (2026). Washington schools on the FAFSA "lower earnings" list. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/research/fafsa-lower-earnings-colleges/washington