Washington’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
What are the best colleges and universities in Washington if you reward schools for making the best use of their limited resources? Academic Stewardship asks how effectively schools manage their financial and human resources to gain the influence that makes them academically excellent. Schools that are exemplary in Academic Stewardship are doing everything in their power to help students and faculty achieve their full potential.
Colleges and universities in Washington deserve to be recognized when they do more with less. It’s impressive when a large wealthy school can spend money lavishly on expensive buildings and programs. But it’s even more impressive when a small school with limited means is able to train and inspire students that the larger wealthier schools tend to ignore.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities reported in late 2021 that almost 75 percent of higher-education professionals at US colleges and universities felt financial constraints prevented their schools from effectively attracting students. Distracted by the size and amenities of larger schools, prospective students tended especially to be overawed by the big research universities.
Washington’s smaller colleges, especially its liberal arts colleges, need effective ways of communicating their value to a world that celebrates “bigger is better” and “you need the best.” Unfortunately, most college ranking companies, such as U.S. News & World Report, define “best” in a way that devalues schools with smaller budgets and fewer students even when these schools do remarkable work in advancing their students’ education. By and large, college rankings penalize schools that serve underserved populations.
Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell, who for years now has criticized conventional college rankings for misrepresenting what’s good and valuable in education, we decided to construct a new ranking metric that highlights those schools that do more with less. That metric—called the Academic Stewardship metric—takes away both the size and the wealth advantage of schools, and focuses instead on how well schools use the resources available to them to advance the education of their students.
How We Measure the Academic Stewardship of Washington’s Colleges and Universities
As a metric, Academic Stewardship is defined by a precise mathematical formula, which can be found in our Academic Stewardship white paper. Measuring the Academic Stewardship of Washington’s colleges requires measuring two forms of stewardship: 1) Stewardship of financial resources (using the money they have responsibility without waste) and 2) Stewardship of human resources (doing their best to help students, faculty, and administration to flourish). Together, these two types of stewardship form what we call Academic Stewardship. If you want to learn more about the factors involved in Academic Stewardship, click the more button below.
- Stewardship of financial resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of financial resources, we factored in its undergraduate size, budget, endowments and reserves, as well as tuition and fees. All these data are available from the National Center for Educational Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. In addition, we factored in a school’s financial responsibility as gauged by the Federal Student Aid Office at the US Department of Education through its financial responsibility composite scores.
- Stewardship of human resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of human resources, we used our InfluenceRanking engine to track the influence of the school’s faculty and alumni but also to control for size of the undergraduate student body. We’ve found that measuring a school’s influence based on the contributions of faculty and alumni make in their fields of study but then also controlling for size of the undergraduate population is the single best indicator of academic excellence. We call this Concentrated Influence. Schools that rank highly in Concentrated Influence are schools that, given their available human resources, invest heavily in their students and faculty, and the results are demonstrable.
- We measure the influence of colleges and universities based on the publications and citations of the schools’ faculty and alumni who are teaching in and working in areas related to their degrees. To do this, we take publicly available databases, such as Semantic Scholar, Crossref, and Wikipedia and use these to measure the influence of academics in their disciplines. Having measured the influence of persons, we then identify the schools that they’re affiliated with, adding up the influence scores of the faculty and alumni to measure the influence of the schools and their disciplinary programs. Finally, we control these influence scores by size of undergraduate student body so that schools do not score high in influence simply because of a size advantage. We lay out these methodological considerations on our methodology page.
- Academic Stewardship: Having measured a school’s stewardship of financial and human resources in the two previous points, we now divide the second measure by the first to define the Academic Stewardship metric. This metric spotlights smaller schools, with fewer financial resources and people, that invest wisely and do proportionately better in building influence than large wealthy schools. Many of these smaller, less wealthy schools are incentivized to make better use of their resources but would never get recognized in conventional school rankings, which directly or indirectly put a premium on the wealth of schools.
Academic Stewardship as so defined is connected to keeping tuition and other costs down, but it should not be confused with affordability or frugality. The schools that this metric ranks as exemplary academic stewards tend to be all over the map when it comes to tuition and other costs. At issue is the influence of schools given the financial and human resources they have on hand. If a school is going to charge more for tuition, then that needs to be reflected in the school having proportionately greater influence.
Why Academic Stewardship Matters to Students and Their Families
The benefits of attending a school with strong academic stewardship include:
- A clear reason for why students are at the school in the first place. Without the distraction of amenities and luxuries, these schools are at once unpretentious but also passionately committed to their educational mission. The schools in this ranking are financially efficient and academically rigorous. By avoiding frills, these schools take the most direct path to accomplishing their mission of educating students.
- Valuing character over prestige and self-indulgence. A school that’s a good steward of its resources doesn’t instill shame in its students over what they are missing (such as elite cuisine) but rather pride in what they have and making the most of it. These schools exhibit a culture of good stewardship, which tends to build good character in the students that attend these schools.
- Avoiding the spoiled-student syndrome. It’s easy to think that offering students endless options and opportunities will enrich their time at school in every way. But spoiling people—whether in business, sports, or academics—has the opposite effect, causing people to take their advantages for granted and in the end achieving less than they might otherwise, a point well-documented in Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code. Schools exhibiting academic stewardship avoid this pitfall.
- The best schools vs. the schools that help students to be their best. Students at schools demonstrating outstanding academic stewardship aren’t so much concerned about being at the “best” school, whatever that may mean, as about being at a school that helps them to be their best. These schools pay attention to their students, hoping that any glory goes to them rather than to the school. Small schools, and especially liberal arts colleges, help themselves by communicating this advantage to prospective students.
- Emphasizing development over talent and achievement. Schools like Harvard and Stanford have their pick of academic talent, and their students have a long record of achievement even before they apply to such elite schools. But if a school doesn’t have the resources of a Harvard or Stanford, how does it build a great team of students? In that case, it must focus on student development. Colleges exemplifying academic stewardship emphasize student growth and development, ensuring that the schools are doing everything in their power to help students reach their full potential and thereby become their best selves.
Washington’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
- #2 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024 #4 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024 #4 Best Public Colleges in Washington 2024
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
41%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/25
Career Outlook for degree at Evergreen State College
Cost of Degree: $8,750Expenses: $18,271Starting Salary: $36,900Cost Recoup Time: 13 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Evergreen State College known for?
Evergreen State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #1 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024 #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024 #3 Best Private Colleges in Washington 2024 #6 Best Colleges in Washington 2024
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
48%
Graduation
90%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1383/31
Career Outlook for degree at Whitman College
Cost of Degree: $58,622Expenses: $16,420Starting Salary: $59,400Cost Recoup Time: 18 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Whitman College known for?
Whitman College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Physics
- Computer Science
- Sociology
- Literature
- Engineering
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Economics
Most Influential Alumni
- #5 Best Christian Colleges in Washington 2024 #8 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024 #9 Best Private Colleges in Washington 2024 #10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024
Tuition + fees
$32K
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Walla Walla University
Cost of Degree: $31,758Expenses: $12,717Starting Salary: $50,900Cost Recoup Time: 15 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Walla Walla University known for?
Walla Walla University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Biology
- Religious Studies
- Engineering
- Psychology
- Education
- Computer Science
- Business
Most Influential Alumni
- #3 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024 #4 Best Private Colleges in Washington 2024 #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024 #9 Best Colleges in Washington 2024
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
76%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1280/29
Career Outlook for degree at University of Puget Sound
Cost of Degree: $57,626Expenses: $17,944Starting Salary: $59,100Cost Recoup Time: 19 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Puget Sound known for?
University of Puget Sound’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Biology
- Physics
- Earth Sciences
- Sociology
- Philosophy
- Economics
- Mathematics
- Literature
- Political Science
- Anthropology
Most Influential Alumni
- #4 Best Christian Colleges in Washington 2024 #5 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024 #6 Best Private Colleges in Washington 2024 #7 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
72%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1338/28
Career Outlook for degree at Pacific Lutheran University
Cost of Degree: $50,256Expenses: $14,976Starting Salary: $53,500Cost Recoup Time: 18 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Pacific Lutheran University known for?
Pacific Lutheran University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Chemistry
- Earth Sciences
- Anthropology
- Literature
- Religious Studies
- History
- Biology
- Economics
- Business
- Communications
Most Influential Alumni
- #8 Best CCCU Colleges and Universities 2024 #3 Best Christian Colleges in Washington 2024 #4 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024 #5 Best Grad Schools in Washington 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
65%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/23
Career Outlook for degree at Seattle Pacific University
Cost of Degree: $37,158Expenses: $18,579Starting Salary: $54,200Cost Recoup Time: 16 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Seattle Pacific University known for?
Seattle Pacific University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Computer Science
- Religious Studies
- Psychology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Sociology
- Business
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Economics
Most Influential Alumni
- #20 50 Best Christian Colleges and Universities 2024 #1 Best Christian Colleges in Washington 2024 #1 Best Private Colleges in Washington 2024 #2 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
74%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1265/27
Career Outlook for degree at Seattle University
Cost of Degree: $51,324Expenses: $18,474Starting Salary: $63,200Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Seattle University known for?
Seattle University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Computer Science
- Law
- Economics
- Engineering
- Criminal Justice
- Religious Studies
- Biology
- Business
- Psychology
Most Influential Alumni
- #2 Best Christian Colleges in Washington 2024 #2 Best Private Colleges in Washington 2024 #4 Best Grad Schools in Washington 2024 #4 Best Research Universities in Washington 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
88%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1310/28
Career Outlook for degree at Gonzaga University
Cost of Degree: $50,735Expenses: $18,972Starting Salary: $63,800Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Gonzaga University known for?
Gonzaga University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
- #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024 #5 Best Public Colleges in Washington 2024 #5 Most Affordable Colleges in Washington 2024 #8 Best Colleges in Washington 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
50%
Student body
16K
Career Outlook for degree at Eastern Washington University
Cost of Degree: $8,139Expenses: $18,406Starting Salary: $46,700Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Eastern Washington University known for?
Eastern Washington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Literature
- Education
- Medical
- Communications
- Mathematics
- History
Most Influential Alumni
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024 #3 Best Public Colleges in Washington 2024 #3 Most Affordable Colleges in Washington 2024 #4 Best Colleges in Washington 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
65%
Student body
17K
Median SAT/ACT
1235/27
Career Outlook for degree at Western Washington University
Cost of Degree: $8,967Expenses: $19,908Starting Salary: $50,600Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Western Washington University known for?
Western Washington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Earth Sciences
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Chemistry
- Literature
- Communications
- Mathematics
- Physics
- History
- Biology
Most Influential Alumni
- #6 Best Public Colleges in Washington 2024 #6 Most Affordable Colleges in Washington 2024 #6 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024 #5 Best Online Colleges in Washington 2024
Other Rankings
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
52%
Student body
12K
Career Outlook for degree at Central Washington University
Cost of Degree: $8,845Expenses: $17,467Starting Salary: $50,100Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Central Washington University known for?
Central Washington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Anthropology
- Earth Sciences
- Psychology
- Computer Science
- Social Work
- Education
- Business
- Criminal Justice
- Biology
- Chemistry
Most Influential Alumni
- #2 Best Public Colleges in Washington 2024 #2 Best Grad Schools in Washington 2024 #2 Most Affordable Colleges in Washington 2024 #2 Best Colleges in Washington 2024
Other Rankings
- #2 Best Research Universities in Washington 2024
- #3 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024
- #1 Best Online MBA Programs in Washington
- #2 Best Online Master's Programs in Washington 2024
- #2 Best Online Colleges in Washington 2024
- #10 Most Affordable Online Criminology Doctorate Programs (PhDs)
- #10 Best Online Bachelor's in Strategic Communications Degree Programs
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
62%
Student body
33K
Career Outlook for degree at Washington State University
Cost of Degree: $12,701Expenses: $17,042Starting Salary: $56,600Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Washington State University known for?
Washington State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Biology
- Sociology
- Chemistry
- Criminal Justice
- Earth Sciences
- Psychology
- Business
- Engineering
- Economics
- Anthropology
Most Influential Alumni
- #1 15 Best Self-paced Online Colleges Ranked for 2024 #4 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities in the U.S. 2024 #5 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2024 #5 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2024
Other Rankings
- #6 Top Schools that Offer Free Master's Degrees Online
- #7 Best Value Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2024
- #16 Best Universities in the US Ranked for Prospective Students in 2024
- #20 50 Best Graduate Schools Ranked for Prospective Students in 2024
- #1 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Washington 2024
- #1 Best Grad Schools in Washington 2024
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Washington 2024
- #1 Best Colleges in Washington 2024
- #1 Best Research Universities in Washington 2024
- #2 Best Research Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees
- #5 Best Research Universities for Social Work Degrees
- #15 Best Research Universities for Nursing Degrees
- #16 Best Research Universities for Education Degrees
- #16 Best Research Universities for Biology Degrees
- #17 Best Research Universities for Business Degrees
- #19 Best Research Universities for Earth Sciences Degrees
- #19 Best Research Universities for Computer Science Degrees
- #20 Best Research Universities for Communications Degrees
- #22 Best Research Universities for Physics Degrees
- #23 Best Research Universities for Math Degrees
- #24 Best Research Universities for Sociology Degrees
- #1 Top 8 Best Online Applied Behavioral Analysis PhDs (Doctorates)
- #1 Best Online Master's Programs in Washington 2024
- #1 Best Online Colleges in Washington 2024
- #4 Best Online MBA Degree Programs No GRE Required Ranked for 2024
- #5 Best Online MBA Programs in Washington
- #6 Most Affordable Online Applied Behavioral Analysis PhD Programs
- #8 Guide to Free Online Courses for MBA Students in 2024
- #10 Most Affordable Early Childhood Education Bachelor's (Online, On-Campus)
- #17 20 Fastest Accelerated Online English Doctorates (PhDs) 2024
- #10 Top 20 Best Business Schools for MBAs Ranked for Students
- #17 The Best Traditional MBA Programs Ranked for Students in 2024
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
48%
Graduation
84%
Student body
58K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Washington
Cost of Degree: $12,242Expenses: $19,848Starting Salary: $69,600Cost Recoup Time: 10 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Washington known for?
University of Washington’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Earth Sciences
- Computer Science
- Social Work
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Medical
- Criminal Justice
- Physics
- Psychology
- Engineering
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
31%
Student body
7K
Career Outlook for degree at Olympic College
Cost of Degree: $4,472Expenses: $16,050Starting Salary: $38,000Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Olympic College known for?
Olympic College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
35%
Student body
10K
Career Outlook for degree at Spokane Community College
Cost of Degree: $3,928Starting Salary: $37,200What is Spokane Community College known for?
Spokane Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
29%
Student body
5K
Career Outlook for degree at Spokane Falls Community College
Cost of Degree: $3,928Starting Salary: $34,900What is Spokane Falls Community College known for?
Spokane Falls Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
41%
Student body
9K
Career Outlook for degree at Green River College
Cost of Degree: $4,434Starting Salary: $42,000What is Green River College known for?
Green River College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
38%
Student body
4K
Career Outlook for degree at Wenatchee Valley College
Cost of Degree: $4,968Expenses: $14,186Starting Salary: $36,700Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Wenatchee Valley College known for?
Wenatchee Valley College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- #6 Best Grad Schools in Washington 2024 #7 Best Small Colleges in Washington 2024 #7 Most Affordable Colleges in Washington 2024 #8 Best Private Colleges in Washington 2024
Other Rankings
- #9 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024
- #1 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in Washington
- #1 Best Online Associate Degrees in Washington 2024
- #3 Best Online MBA Programs in Washington
- #6 10 Fastest Accelerated Online Bachelor's of Computer Science
- #6 Best Online Colleges in Washington 2024
- #7 Best Online Master's Programs in Washington 2024
- #8 Top 10 Best Online Business Management Bachelor's Programs
- #9 Top 15 Most Affordable Online Information Technology PhD Programs
- #10 Fastest Accelerated Online Healthcare Administration Masters
- #17 Top 20 Most Affordable Online Business Administration Doctorates
Tuition + fees
$14K
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at City University of Seattle
Cost of Degree: $13,558Starting Salary: $53,400What is City University of Seattle known for?
City University of Seattle’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
44%
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at Centralia College
Cost of Degree: $4,891Expenses: $20,982Starting Salary: $35,400Cost Recoup Time: 13 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Centralia College known for?
Centralia College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
44%
Student body
4K
Career Outlook for degree at Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Cost of Degree: $4,710Starting Salary: $47,200What is Lake Washington Institute of Technology known for?
Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
54%
Student body
6K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Washington Tacoma
Cost of Degree: $12,458Expenses: $18,582Starting Salary: $69,600Cost Recoup Time: 9 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is University of Washington Tacoma known for?
University of Washington Tacoma’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
42%
Student body
5K
Career Outlook for degree at Whatcom Community College
Cost of Degree: $4,982Expenses: $22,389Starting Salary: $38,400Cost Recoup Time: 13 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Whatcom Community College known for?
Whatcom Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
31%
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at Bellingham Technical College
Cost of Degree: $4,095Starting Salary: $48,100What is Bellingham Technical College known for?
Bellingham Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$17K
Graduation
55%
Student body
4K
Career Outlook for degree at Charter College
Cost of Degree: $16,784Starting Salary: $46,400What is Charter College known for?
Charter College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Washington’s Best Colleges in Your Area of Interest
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?
- 5 Research Universities
- 42 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities
- 8 Graduate Schools
- 32 Public Colleges & Universities
- 15 Private Colleges & Universities
- 8 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 27 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students)
- 35 Affordable Colleges (below $20,000/year)
- 33 Community Colleges
- Best Online Colleges