Best Washington Colleges

Ranked list of Colleges and Universities in Washington for 2025

There are 65 colleges and universities in Washington enrolling 318,682 students. Explore the list of top colleges in Washington below to begin your college search. The CollegeSimply rankings are objective and data-driven in order to help you find good matches for you. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page. Whether you're searching for a good public, private or community college, this guide to universities in Washington offers a comprehensive view to the state's higher education options.

 Washington is home to nationally ranked institutions like University of Washington Seattle Campus, Whitman College, Seattle University and Gonzaga University. The highest ranked college in Washington is University of Washington Seattle Campus and the top rated public state college is also University of Washington Seattle Campus.

Local college options can be explored in Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver or other cities.


65 results

List of the Best Washington Colleges

University of Washington Seattle Campus
W
Seattle, WA

University of Washington Seattle Campus

Public 4 Year

6 reviews

#1 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 55,620enrollment
  • $11,023net price
  • 43%acceptance rate
  • 1200-1453SAT range
  • 27-33ACT range
  • 3.82Avg GPA

Applications Due Nov 16

Whitman College
W
Walla Walla, WA

Whitman College

Private 4 Year

4 reviews

#2 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 1,544enrollment
  • $41,601net price
  • 50%acceptance rate
  • 1270-1480SAT range
  • 27-33ACT range
  • 3.68Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Seattle University
S
Seattle, WA

Seattle University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

#3 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 7,182enrollment
  • $37,103net price
  • 76%acceptance rate
  • 1130-1350SAT range
  • 23-30ACT range
  • 3.62Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Gonzaga University
G
Spokane, WA

Gonzaga University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

#4 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 7,306enrollment
  • $40,295net price
  • 76%acceptance rate
  • 1220-1410SAT range
  • 26-31ACT range
  • 3.67Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

University of Puget Sound
P
Tacoma, WA

University of Puget Sound

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

#5 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 1,914enrollment
  • $42,301net price
  • 76%acceptance rate
  • 1185-1390SAT range
  • 27-31ACT range
  • 3.56Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

Seattle Pacific University
S
Seattle, WA

Seattle Pacific University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#6 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 2,659enrollment
  • $26,155net price
  • 91%acceptance rate
  • 1050-1320SAT range
  • 20-28ACT range
  • 3.53Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 11

Whitworth University
W
Spokane, WA

Whitworth University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

#7 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 2,345enrollment
  • $27,491net price
  • 87%acceptance rate
  • 1100-1320SAT range
  • 21-29ACT range
  • 3.72Avg GPA

Applications Due Mar 1

Western Washington University
W
Bellingham, WA

Western Washington University

Public 4 Year

2 reviews

#8 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 14,651enrollment
  • $22,096net price
  • 91%acceptance rate
  • 1110-1350SAT range
  • 23-29ACT range
  • 3.46Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 31

Washington State University
W
Pullman, WA

Washington State University

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

#9 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 26,490enrollment
  • $18,155net price
  • 85%acceptance rate
  • 1020-1210SAT range
  • 20-26ACT range
  • 3.5Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 31

Pacific Lutheran University
P
Tacoma, WA

Pacific Lutheran University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

#10 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 2,737enrollment
  • $23,841net price
  • 81%acceptance rate
  • 988-1258SAT range
  • 21-27ACT range
  • 3.71Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15

Saint Martin's University
S
Lacey, WA

Saint Martin's University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

#11 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 1,505enrollment
  • $22,779net price
  • 76%acceptance rate
  • 970-1180SAT range
  • 14-22ACT range
  • 3.46Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 31

Central Washington University
C
Ellensburg, WA

Central Washington University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

#12 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 8,796enrollment
  • $15,558net price
  • 90%acceptance rate
  • 930-1150SAT range
  • 17-24ACT range
  • 3.08Avg GPA

Applications Due Mar 1

The Evergreen State College
E
Olympia, WA

The Evergreen State College

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

#13 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 2,320enrollment
  • $18,480net price
  • 97%acceptance rate
  • 890-1260SAT range
  • 22-26ACT range
  • 3.12Avg GPA

Eastern Washington University
E
Cheney, WA

Eastern Washington University

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

#14 Best Colleges in Washington

  • 10,741enrollment
  • $13,786net price
  • 92%acceptance rate
  • 880-1090SAT range
  • 16-23ACT range
  • 3.29Avg GPA

Applications Due Sep 10

Bellevue College
B
Bellevue, WA

Bellevue College

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 11,472enrollment
  • $11,926net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Sep 15

Bellingham Technical College
B
Bellingham, WA
 

Bellingham Technical College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,850enrollment
  • $7,517net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Big Bend Community College
B
Moses Lake, WA
 

Big Bend Community College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 1,786enrollment
  • $12,650net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Centralia College
C
Centralia, WA
 

Centralia College

Public 2 Year

0 reviews

 

  • 2,335enrollment
  • $12,280net price
  • 100%acceptance rate
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Sep 1