Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024

Badge for BEST IN WASHINGTON SMALL COLLEGES

Published: May 5, 2021
Updated: Mar 25, 2024

Small colleges in Washington are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

10 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024

Whitman College
Evergreen State College
University of Puget Sound
Seattle Pacific University
Pacific Lutheran University
DigiPen Institute of Technology
City University of Seattle
Walla Walla University
Whitworth University
Saint Martin's University

Evergreen State College
Whitman College
University of Puget Sound
Seattle Pacific University
Pacific Lutheran University
Walla Walla University
Whitworth University
City University of Seattle
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Saint Martin's University

Saint Martin's University 95%
Northwest University 94%
Seattle Pacific University 91%
Whitworth University 91%
Pacific Lutheran University 89%
University of Puget Sound 83%
Evergreen State College 74%
DigiPen Institute of Technology 66%
Whitman College 48%

South Seattle College 32 to 1
Bellingham Technical College 22 to 1
Clover Park Technical College 19 to 1
Evergreen State College 17 to 1
North Seattle College 17 to 1
Skagit Valley College 17 to 1
Lake Washington Institute of Technology 16 to 1
Yakima Valley College 15 to 1
Grays Harbor College 14 to 1
Peninsula College 14 to 1

Whitman College $58,622
University of Puget Sound $57,626
Pacific Lutheran University $50,928
Whitworth University $48,990
Saint Martin's University $42,220
Seattle Pacific University $37,158
DigiPen Institute of Technology $36,100
Northwest University $35,000
Walla Walla University $31,758
Heritage University $19,500

University of Puget Sound $37,307
Pacific Lutheran University $32,116
DigiPen Institute of Technology $29,740
Walla Walla University $27,105
Seattle Pacific University $19,764
Northwest University $19,188
Antioch University Seattle $19,128
Saint Martin's University $15,312
Whitworth University $12,816
Evergreen State College $12,021

Renton Technical College
Grays Harbor College
Yakima Valley College
South Seattle College
Bellingham Technical College
Clover Park Technical College
Heritage University
Whatcom Community College
North Seattle College
Centralia College

Renton Technical College
Bellingham Technical College
Grays Harbor College
Yakima Valley College
Whatcom Community College
Centralia College
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
South Seattle College
Clover Park Technical College
Antioch University Seattle

Whitman College 48%
DigiPen Institute of Technology 66%
Evergreen State College 74%
University of Puget Sound 83%
Pacific Lutheran University 89%
Whitworth University 91%
Seattle Pacific University 91%
Northwest University 94%
Saint Martin's University 95%

Antioch University Seattle 3 to 1
City University of Seattle 6 to 1
Heritage University 8 to 1
Renton Technical College 9 to 1
Whitman College 9 to 1
Northwest University 9 to 1
University of Puget Sound 9 to 1
Whitworth University 10 to 1
DigiPen Institute of Technology 10 to 1
Pacific Lutheran University 11 to 1

Bellingham Technical College $3,102
Spokane Falls Community College $3,102
Lake Washington Institute of Technology $3,102
Whatcom Community College $3,527
Renton Technical College $3,882
Skagit Valley College $3,917
Peninsula College $3,927
Grays Harbor College $3,928
Wenatchee Valley College $4,458
Centralia College $4,458

Heritage University $10,020
City University of Seattle $11,812
Evergreen State College $12,021
Whitworth University $12,816
Saint Martin's University $15,312
Antioch University Seattle $19,128
Northwest University $19,188
Seattle Pacific University $19,764
Walla Walla University $27,105
DigiPen Institute of Technology $29,740

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Washington

Of the 40 public options, the University of Washington in Seattle is the largest. Roughly 40,000 students attend classes in fields like nursing, education, biology, and computer science. This public research institution is also affordable, charging about $11,000 for tuition. In fact, none of the public schools in Washington exceed $12,000 in price. This includes community colleges, technical colleges, and four-year universities, making Washington a uniquely affordable place to earn your associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Washington also has 24 private institutions. Of those, nine are religious. The most widely known of these, Catholic university Gonzaga enrolls roughly 7,000 students, at a cost of $40,000, in areas such as religious studies, engineering, and law. Central Washington University (CWU) is a smaller public school, serving just over 12,000 students, and has a tuition of $8,000. With 15% of its population being Hispanic, CWU is now recognized as an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution. Washington health professions also have the opportunity to receive funding for loan repayment through Washington’s Health Professional Loan Repayment Program.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Washington offers ocean beaches and lush forests. In fact, over half the state is covered in forests, earning Washington its nickname as The Evergreen State. Viewers atop the Space Needle in Seattle can take in the sights of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, and both the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges. In addition, prospective students can choose from over 60 higher education institutions in the state.

Check out the top higher education programs and find an affordable degree in Washington.

What are Washington’s Colleges & Universities?

Washington’s Best Overall

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Washington is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 27 small colleges in Washington. The list below of the 30 best small colleges in Washington. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine Washington's best small colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Small Colleges in Washington 2023

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Washington’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Many states have great small colleges. If you’re interested in looking into what other states have to offer, check out the best small colleges in North Dakota and Michigan.

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Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024

10 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024

Colleges and Universities in Washington

What are Washington’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Small Colleges in Washington 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Whitman College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Evergreen State College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Puget Sound

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Seattle Pacific University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Pacific Lutheran University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at DigiPen Institute of Technology

Career Outlook for degree at City University of Seattle

Career Outlook for degree at Walla Walla University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Whitworth University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Saint Martin's University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Peninsula College

Career Outlook for degree at Wenatchee Valley College

Career Outlook for degree at Lake Washington Institute of Technology

Career Outlook for degree at Antioch University Seattle

Career Outlook for degree at Northwest University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Spokane Falls Community College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Skagit Valley College

Career Outlook for degree at Centralia College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at North Seattle College

Career Outlook for degree at Whatcom Community College

Career Outlook for degree at Heritage University

Career Outlook for degree at Clover Park Technical College

Career Outlook for degree at Bellingham Technical College

Career Outlook for degree at South Seattle College

Career Outlook for degree at Yakima Valley College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Grays Harbor College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Renton Technical College

Washington’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest