2023 best colleges in Washington

Featuring an iconic coastline, deep green forests, and high-quality public and private institutions, Washington offers students a healthy mix of nightlife, wildlife, and activity. Evergreen State College in Olympia was founded in the 1960s as an experimental institution and still encourages students to design their own academic programs. Established in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast and renowned for its contribution to medical, engineering, and scientific research. Not to mention the opportunity for small classes at the state’s private and liberal arts schools, like Whitman College, which has a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio.

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Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.

Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.

Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.

EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.

Rankings: The ranking order is based on the economic score.The economic score is the combination of payback and earningsplus, and is how we determine a school’s rank. The lower the economic score the better.

Net cost
Payback
Earnings
EarningsPlus
Rankings
Ranking methodology
#1 in Washington | #110 in Liberal Arts

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, Washington

Economic score: 4.08

The Economic Score is the combination of payback and earningsplus, and is how we determine a school’s rank. The lower the economic score the better. For an analysis of how we arrive at the economic score, and a description of our data sources, please visit our methodology page.

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Net cost: $33,562

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Payback: 3.9 years

Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.

Earnings: $61,842

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

EarningsPlus: - $1,715

EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.

Admission rate: 88%
Graduation rate: 76%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not ranked and are displayed at the end of the ranking list.

#2 in Washington | #113 in Liberal Arts

Whitman College

Walla Walla, Washington

Economic score: 4.22

The Economic Score is the combination of payback and earningsplus, and is how we determine a school’s rank. The lower the economic score the better. For an analysis of how we arrive at the economic score, and a description of our data sources, please visit our methodology page.

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Net cost: $35,894

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Payback: 4.5 years

Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.

Earnings: $59,340

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

EarningsPlus: + $2,025

EarningsPlus compares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.

Admission rate: 59%
Graduation rate: 89%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (48%) are not ranked and are displayed at the end of the ranking list.