Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024

Q: Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Badge for BEST IN WASHINGTON LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

By Dr. James Barham

Published: May 5, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

Liberal arts colleges are a great option for students seeking a well-rounded education in an intimate campus setting. The best liberal arts colleges in Washington offer a diverse selection of degree programs with opportunities for a highly individualized educational experience.

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington

Western Washington University
Whitman College
Evergreen State College
Eastern Washington University
University of Puget Sound
Central Washington University
Pacific Lutheran University
DigiPen Institute of Technology
City University of Seattle
Walla Walla University

Evergreen State College
Western Washington University
Whitman College
University of Puget Sound
Central Washington University
Eastern Washington University
Pacific Lutheran University
Walla Walla University
Whitworth University
City University of Seattle

Eastern Washington University 96%
Saint Martin's University 95%
Northwest University 94%
Western Washington University 93%
Central Washington University 93%
Whitworth University 91%
Pacific Lutheran University 89%
University of Washington Tacoma 88%
University of Washington Bothell 88%
University of Puget Sound 83%

Charter College 25 to 1
University of Washington Bothell 21 to 1
Eastern Washington University 19 to 1
Columbia Basin College 19 to 1
Olympic College 17 to 1
Spokane Community College 17 to 1
Western Washington University 17 to 1
Evergreen State College 17 to 1
Seattle Central College 17 to 1
Skagit Valley College 17 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
DigiPen Institute of Technology $36,100
Northwest University $35,000
Walla Walla University $31,758
Antioch University Seattle $19,260
Charter College $17,116

University of Puget Sound $37,307
Pacific Lutheran University $32,116
DigiPen Institute of Technology $29,740
Walla Walla University $27,105
Northwest University $19,188
Antioch University Seattle $19,128
University of Washington Tacoma $17,004
University of Washington Bothell $17,004
Saint Martin's University $15,312
Whitworth University $12,816

Edmonds College
Green River College
Centralia College
Charter College
Olympic College
Skagit Valley College
Spokane Falls Community College
Northwest University
Antioch University Seattle
Lake Washington Institute of Technology

Centralia College
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Green River College
Antioch University Seattle
Skagit Valley College
Edmonds College
Charter College
Northwest University
Peninsula College
Spokane Community College

Whitman College 48%
DigiPen Institute of Technology 66%
Evergreen State College 74%
University of Puget Sound 83%
University of Washington Bothell 88%
University of Washington Tacoma 88%
Pacific Lutheran University 89%
Whitworth University 91%
Central Washington University 93%
Western Washington University 93%

Antioch University Seattle 3 to 1
City University of Seattle 6 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
Saint Martin's University 11 to 1
Green River College 12 to 1

Spokane Community College $3,102
Spokane Falls Community College $3,102
Lake Washington Institute of Technology $3,102
Highline College $3,527
Skagit Valley College $3,917
Peninsula College $3,927
Green River College $3,928
Bellevue College $3,928
Edmonds College $3,952
Olympic College $4,197

Central Washington University $10,401
Western Washington University $11,756
City University of Seattle $11,812
Evergreen State College $12,021
Eastern Washington University $12,723
Whitworth University $12,816
Saint Martin's University $15,312
University of Washington Tacoma $17,004
University of Washington Bothell $17,004
Antioch University Seattle $19,128

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

How do we determine Washington's best 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.

A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified 42 liberal arts colleges in Washington. To be ranked among the 30 best liberal arts colleges in Washington, schools must fully accredited institutions.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2023

Washington’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines.

Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students.

Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).

Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers.

Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available.

Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online.

Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands.

Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.

Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving.

If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.

The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors.

Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

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.

Check out our directory of liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top liberal arts schools in every state.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2024

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington

Colleges and Universities in Washington

What are Washington’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Washington 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Western Washington University

Most Influential Alumni

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 Eastern Washington University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Puget Sound

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Central Washington 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 Bellevue College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Whitworth University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Washington Tacoma

Career Outlook for degree at University of Washington Bothell

Career Outlook for degree at Saint Martin's University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Columbia Basin College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Peninsula College

Career Outlook for degree at Seattle Central College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Wenatchee Valley College

Career Outlook for degree at Highline College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Spokane Community 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 Olympic College

Career Outlook for degree at Charter College

Career Outlook for degree at Centralia College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Green River College

Career Outlook for degree at Edmonds College

Most Influential Alumni

Washington’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest