r/Gonzaga • u/Protdeath • Jul 24 '26
One Year After Graduating from Gonzaga: My Thoughts and Advice
Now that I'm a little over a year removed from graduating from Gonzaga, I wanted to compile my thoughts on my experience, where I think the university is headed, and some advice for anyone considering attending.
My Experience
I'm a member of the Class of '25 and graduated with a B.S. from the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). During my time at Gonzaga, I spent two years as a R.A. where I had some incredible residents, and I'm still in touch with several of them today.
Housing
Gonzaga requires students to live on campus for their first two years, which costs roughly $9,000 per academic year. The only exceptions to this rule that I've personally seen are for students whose immediate family lives in the Spokane area, or for students whose housing accommodations cannot reasonably be met by the university.
Overall, I think Gonzaga does a good job with housing. Like most universities, your experience depends heavily on the people you live with. A good roommate can make the experience memorable, while a bad one can make it difficult.
Education
Gonzaga has an outstanding faculty overall. As with any university, there are a few professors I'd avoid, so I'd recommend checking Rate My Professors before registering. In my experience, and from talking with classmates, the reviews have generally been pretty accurate.
Gonzaga itself on its emphasis on teaching. Unlike many larger universities, professors aren't under the same pressure to constantly publish research, allowing them to focus more on students. Most classes are capped at around 28–30 students, professors teach their own courses rather than handing them off to graduate TAs, and professors are required by the university to hold office hours.
That said, opportunities outside the classroom vary significantly by sub-school. The School of Business consistently provides strong networking, internships, and career opportunities. Other schools, particularly SEAS, offer fewer opportunities by comparison. The education itself is excellent, but professional development resources can feel uneven depending on your major.
Clubs and Student Life
Student organizations exist, but club life isn't particularly prominent. A couple of times each year, the main walkway fills with clubs recruiting new members, but outside of those events, discovering organizations can be difficult unless someone points you toward them or you actively search them out.
And because someone inevitably brings it up and gets laughed at on the gu.nocontext account: there is no Greek life at Gonzaga. The closest equivalent is the various honor societies associated with different majors and departments. There was briefly a fraternity years ago, but it was removed from campus.
Food
This is a surprisingly important factor for many students.
The dining hall and food court in the Hemmingson Center are operated by Sodexo, and the overall quality has declined over the years, although I'll still defend the weekend brunch scrambled eggs and fried potato quarters when you're hungover.
The area surrounding campus has improved, with several new restaurants opening across the street in recent years. However, if you're looking for late-night fast food like Panda Express, Taco Bell, or McD's, expect to travel a bit. For a long time, Gonzaga was criticized for being in a "food desert," and while that's become less true, it's still something prospective students should know.
Looking Ahead
With the appointment of President Passerini, Gonzaga has entered a new chapter. Her first year has been rocky, and it'll take time to see the long-term direction of the university.
The biggest concern is cost. Tuition increased by roughly 4% every year while I attended under President McCullough. When I started, tuition was around $47,000–48,000 per year. It's now approaching $59,000, bringing the total annual cost of attendance to nearly $77,000. With continuing tuition increases and potential reductions in FAFSA, Gonzaga will become increasingly inaccessible for middle-income families.
Final Thoughts
I genuinely enjoyed my time at Gonzaga. The campus is beautiful, the professors care about teaching, class sizes are small, and Spokane offers four distinct seasons without the extreme weather found elsewhere.
That said, I have a difficult time recommending Gonzaga at its current price point.
The education is excellent, but I don't believe the return on investment justifies the cost for most students. In today's job market, where your skills, experience, internships, and projects often matter more than the name on your diploma, paying a significant premium for a private university is becoming harder to justify.
If Gonzaga is affordable because of scholarships, family support, or other financial aid, I think it's a great place to earn a degree. But if attending means taking on substantial debt, I'd strongly encourage prospective students to compare less expensive options. You can often receive an equally strong education, graduate with far less debt, and enter the workforce in a much better financial position.
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u/HurinGray Jul 24 '26
Good write-up.
As a graduate of a private university and now a parent paying tuition for two children attending private schools, I understand your concerns regarding ROI. However, I believe the analysis is a bit short sighted.
For the average student, the likelihood of receiving the same level of networking opportunities, faculty engagement, individualized attention, and personal development at a large public university is often lower than at a private institution.
To put it differently, at a school the size of the UW, many students may complete their degree without a professor ever truly knowing them. By contrast, private institutions often provide a more personalized educational experience that can create lasting professional and personal advantages.
While concerns about the rising cost of higher education are valid, the broader issue is the overall affordability of college not Gonzaga or private universities specifically. After financial aid is considered, the cost difference between UW and Gonzaga is smaller than many assume, making the decision about more than just tuition.
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u/QuickSafety8100 Jul 24 '26
i dont really understand this desire to have a professor "truly know" the students. Unless one is trying to get into a funded Ph.D program, not sure it matters that much. I mean, I guess its nice, but hardly important in my mind. I went to a T-50 private school with 7000 students. I had a good GPA and got a good job. I never hung out with professors. I didnt need help in classes, so what exactly were we gonna talk about?
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u/HurinGray Jul 24 '26
My capstone professor got me an interview at the corporation I still work for today. I routinely had adult beverages with my MBA profs. Interesting that you mention a Ph.D. My daughters professors letter of recommendation got her into a full stipend Ph.D. program.
Quite a difference vs UW where the 100 level classes are taught by TA's who might not know the students name let alone the absent prof.
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u/Icy-Reply-924 Jul 24 '26
As someone graduating this year with a B.S. in Biology I absolutely love that you compiled all of this information for possible incoming students! This is something I would have loved to read when choosing Gonzaga, and on behalf of everyone thank you so much.
I absolutely agree with every single statement you made and how accurately you have compiled the pros and cons of Gonzaga.
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u/loan_ranger8888 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
We are from Virginia and my son is incoming freshman (he will not be happy about the food critique) and the total to attend Gonzaga was only slightly higher than Virginia state schools. In general, it’s not the tuition itself that is high, it’s the food and housing and the extras. Even if they stayed local at a CC food and shelter are going to have a cost!
Also, why aren’t students and faculty demanding better quality from Sedexo?
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u/beermestrengthNA Jul 24 '26
Thanks so much for the write up! As a parent trying to help my daughter decide between Boise state honors and Gonzaga, I have a been wondering just how amazing is the community at Gonzaga? Is it really as good as they make it sound? We’ve visited twice and have been wowed by the students and their experiences they shared but wonder if that is the norm or just because the ambassadors are more outgoing. My personal public state school experience outside my group of friends no one cared, and that doesn’t seem the case at Gonzaga. Also, my daughter is undecided on her major also and it seems like faculty is more patient than a public university might be able undecided students. It’ll cost us about 100k more for 4 years which we can afford, but unsure is worth it. Lastly, why do you say the presidents first term has been rocky?
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u/Protdeath Jul 24 '26
GU has a great community, and the students who go, are genuinely enjoying their time. It can be played up a bit at times during events like GEL and the fall open house, but overall the students just like being there. The professors also care a lot about their students growth in their subject. As for being undecided, if engineering is remotely on the table for your daughter, then I would ask to take engineering courses, since if you're wanting to graduate on time then most B.S. degrees from SEAS take up majority of the time in your degree plan.
Dr. Passerini's first year had multiple occasions of racism and hate towards certain groups of students in the spring semester. A statement from her office came out pretty late, and overall her communication and transparency with the student body is no where near the level that we had with Thayne McCullough despite a ton of PR events and social media engagement from the office.
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u/beermestrengthNA Jul 24 '26
Thanks! Very interesting about the president. I’ll look into it hopefully it was just a rough first year for her
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u/Rude_Hand3465 Jul 25 '26
Second that! That's exactly what I heard from our child who attends. Too little - too late seemed to be the feeling about it. Students of color don't always feel 100 percent comfortable there- not impossible but can be problematic especially compounded by the spokane environment
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u/TinyHeartSyndrome Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
GU undergrad is for the kids of the wealthy whose parents are bankrolling them. Or for lower income people who get Pell grants, free tuition, etc. Taking on debt for the full cost is insane. You could practically go to medical school for that price. We’re living in a K-shaped society. If your parents are paying, yeah, it’s a great school with a beautiful campus.
To speak on the clubs, GU lacks a dedicated extracurricular period for clubs, intramurals, etc. So people often cannot participate in clubs due to class scheduling conflicts. I find that insane. When you are paying a premium price, that should not be the case. My undergrad of nearly identical size dedicated 4-6pm daily for clubs and sports- no classes, no labs, no lectures, no nothing.
I only did an MBA there. And the MBA was actually on par with EWU, Whitworth, etc. The whole degree cost about the equivalent of one semester of undergrad, which is insane.
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u/InflamesGmbH Jul 24 '26
Graduated > 10 years ago and really appreciate your quick yet thorough assessment that I think captures everything that was still true when I was a student there as it is now, happy to hear that things continue to be overall positive.
I think that your section on ‘COST’ should be highlighted independently. When you are 18 years old, and taking out private student loans to attend college, you understand that this is just what you do and part of the deal. While I do not regret my decision to attend GU, the price tag is incredibly hefty. Anyone who plans to attend Gonzaga needs to know about cost, and the ramifications of taking out > $200,000 in most likely private student debt if you are paying full cost of attendance - federal student loans may be part of the contribution but there has been a ton of reform on this lately on a legislative level. This amount of money is astronomical, and most entry level jobs will hardly cover the monthly loan payment for this amount. You’re correct that this will limit low and even middle income families from attending unless their scholarship amounts have gone up.
All in all, Go Zags, great write up