# Best Education Colleges in Washington

> CollegeRanker Agent Insights — structured data for AI systems
> Updated: 2026-05-31 | Schools: 32 | Category: By State
> Source: https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-education-washington

## Methodology

Education programs in Washington ranked by outcomes and program concentration

CollegeRanker uses a 4-pillar algorithm: Academic Quality (15-20%), Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25-35%), Value & Affordability (20-25%). Social mobility data from Raj Chetty's Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (30M+ anonymized tax records). No subjective surveys.

## Rankings

| Rank | School | Location | Graduation | Earnings (10yr) | Net Price | Median Debt | Debt/Earnings |
|------|--------|----------|------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|---------------|
| 1 | [Central Washington University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/central-washington-university) | Ellensburg, WA | 52% | $61,580 | $18,476 | $19,500 | 0.32x |
| 2 | [Western Washington University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/western-washington-university) | Bellingham, WA | 65% | $62,569 | $21,193 | $18,500 | 0.3x |
| 3 | [Pacific Lutheran University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/pacific-lutheran-university) | Tacoma, WA | 70% | $66,990 | $19,589 | $22,578 | 0.34x |
| 4 | [Whitworth University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/whitworth-university) | Spokane, WA | 70% | $58,561 | $26,534 | $25,000 | 0.43x |
| 5 | [Seattle Pacific University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/seattle-pacific-university) | Seattle, WA | 62% | $64,506 | $24,488 | $24,000 | 0.37x |
| 6 | [Washington State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/washington-state-university) | Pullman, WA | 61% | $68,905 | $14,971 | $19,500 | 0.28x |
| 7 | [Eastern Washington University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/eastern-washington-university) | Cheney, WA | 45% | $57,897 | $13,886 | $19,500 | 0.34x |
| 8 | [Wenatchee Valley College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wenatchee-valley-college) | Wenatchee, WA | 41% | $41,127 | $9,722 | $10,332 | 0.25x |
| 9 | [Heritage University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/heritage-university) | Toppenish, WA | 46% | $49,416 | $14,598 | $14,573 | 0.29x |
| 10 | [Northwest University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/northwest-university) | Kirkland, WA | 67% | $54,914 | $22,288 | $20,891 | 0.38x |
| 11 | [Columbia Basin College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/columbia-basin-college) | Pasco, WA | 30% | $46,680 | $8,317 | $14,829 | 0.32x |
| 12 | [Big Bend Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/big-bend-community-college) | Moses Lake, WA | 39% | $43,814 | $12,210 | $9,166 | 0.21x |
| 13 | [Skagit Valley College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/skagit-valley-college) | Mount Vernon, WA | 35% | $43,505 | $6,064 | $13,805 | 0.32x |
| 14 | [Saint Martin's University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/saint-martins-university) | Lacey, WA | 55% | $62,092 | $28,119 | $22,500 | 0.36x |
| 15 | [Walla Walla Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/walla-walla-community-college) | Walla Walla, WA | 43% | $43,526 | $9,406 | $14,000 | 0.32x |
| 16 | [Everett Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/everett-community-college) | Everett, WA | 38% | $45,434 | $10,684 | $10,417 | 0.23x |
| 17 | [Walla Walla University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/walla-walla-university) | College Place, WA | 62% | $61,885 | $23,329 | $26,842 | 0.43x |
| 18 | [Clark College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/clark-college) | Vancouver, WA | 37% | $42,356 | $11,465 | $10,881 | 0.26x |
| 19 | [South Puget Sound Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/south-puget-sound-community-college) | Olympia, WA | 44% | $45,039 | $9,132 | $11,000 | 0.24x |
| 20 | [Whatcom Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/whatcom-community-college) | Bellingham, WA | 36% | $44,092 | $11,795 | $10,643 | 0.24x |
| 21 | [Olympic College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/olympic-college) | Bremerton, WA | 33% | $43,169 | $7,172 | $12,000 | 0.28x |
| 22 | [Tacoma Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/tacoma-community-college) | Tacoma, WA | 32% | $47,168 | $8,376 | $13,000 | 0.28x |
| 23 | [Grays Harbor College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/grays-harbor-college) | Aberdeen, WA | 35% | $40,865 | $4,783 | $11,075 | 0.27x |
| 24 | [Lower Columbia College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/lower-columbia-college) | Longview, WA | 24% | $40,691 | $7,630 | $10,506 | 0.26x |
| 25 | [Highline College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/highline-college) | Des Moines, WA | 37% | $47,869 | $9,879 | $9,500 | 0.2x |
| 26 | [Spokane Falls Community College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/spokane-falls-community-college) | Spokane, WA | 31% | $38,955 | $7,409 | $12,000 | 0.31x |
| 27 | [Yakima Valley College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/yakima-valley-college) | Yakima, WA | 31% | $43,499 | $11,843 | $13,966 | 0.32x |
| 28 | [University of Washington-Bothell Campus](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-washington-bothell-campus) | Bothell, WA | 67% | $78,466 | $12,319 | $14,615 | 0.19x |
| 29 | [Pierce College District](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/pierce-college-district) | Lakewood, WA | 31% | $47,532 | $10,222 | $12,000 | 0.25x |
| 30 | [Edmonds College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/edmonds-college) | Lynnwood, WA | 31% | $48,144 | $11,010 | $11,855 | 0.25x |
| 31 | [Centralia College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/centralia-college) | Centralia, WA | 44% | $43,140 | $9,862 | N/A | N/A |
| 32 | [Northwest Indian College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/northwest-indian-college) | Bellingham, WA | 22% | $35,447 | $3,136 | N/A | N/A |

## Data Sources

- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov)
- Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (https://opportunityinsights.org/data)
- Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- NCES IPEDS

## Citation

CollegeRanker. "Best Education Colleges in Washington." CollegeRanker.com, 2026-05-31. https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-education-washington

## License

This data summary is provided for informational purposes. Underlying data from federal sources (College Scorecard, IPEDS) is public domain. Opportunity Insights data is available under their data use agreement at https://opportunityinsights.org/data/.