2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in Washington
Trying to decide what college is best for you is no easy matter. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Washington Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 20 colleges and universities to determine which were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in Washington. This ranking isn't just a listing of 'cheap' schools. Instead, it is noting which schools offer a high quality education for a reasonable price. So it is possible that College A may rank better than College B, while College B is less expensive to attend.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
When determining average cost, we look at total expenses, such as tuition, fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other living expenses. This gives a rough estimation of how much money you can expect to pay out-of-pocket or through loans each year.
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Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in Washington
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
University of Washington - Seattle Campus tops this year’s ranking as the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in Washington. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,269 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at UW Seattle to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $28,394 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UW Seattle is about $120,391. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UW Seattle also took the #2 spot in our Best Colleges in Washington rankings.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Washington University. The school came in at #2 in Washington on this year’s best value ranking. Western Washington University is a fairly large public school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 3,785 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at WWU to complete their degree, and it costs students who receive no aid about $25,005 per year to attend the school. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from WWU be around $112,522. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington State University. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in Washington list. Washington State University is a large public school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 5,827 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Wazzu about 4.5 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $27,991 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Wazzu be around $124,840. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list means University of Washington - Tacoma Campus is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Tacoma, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,523 students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus about 4.2 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $27,596 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $117,007 to get a bachelor’s degree from University of Washington - Tacoma Campus. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The low student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Washington - Bothell Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in Washington. University of Washington - Bothell Campus is located in Bothell, Washington and has a medium-sized student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,872 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at University of Washington - Bothell Campus is 4.4 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $28,715 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $125,772 to get a bachelor’s degree from University of Washington - Bothell Campus. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Central Washington University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. This fairly large public school is located in Ellensburg, Washington, and it awarded 2,789 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at CWU graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $24,732 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $111,789 to get a bachelor’s degree from CWU. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Eastern Washington University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. EWU is a public institution located in Cheney, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,439 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at EWU about 4.5 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $23,531. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from EWU is $106,595. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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The Evergreen State College did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Washington ranking, coming in at #8. Evergreen is located in Olympia, Washington and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 881 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at Evergreen to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $25,005 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Evergreen be around $107,021. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Gonzaga University landed the #9 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Washington ranking. Located in Spokane, Washington, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,441 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Gonzaga about 4.2 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $62,250 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga is $258,960. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Gonzaga is ranked #3 for overall quality in Washington.
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With a ranking of #10, Whitman College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. Whitman is located in Walla Walla, Washington and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 374 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at Whitman to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $69,532 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $283,691 to get a bachelor’s degree from Whitman. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Whitman did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Colleges in Washington list.
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Walla Walla University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. College Place, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 352 students in 2018-2019.
The average student at Walla Walla U graduates in less than 4.6 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $39,495 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Walla Walla U is $183,257. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
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With a ranking of #12, Seattle University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. Located in Seattle, Washington, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,341 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Seattle U is 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $63,921 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Seattle U is $267,829. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Seattle U did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Colleges in Washington list.
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Pacific Lutheran University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Washington ranking, coming in at #13. PLU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tacoma, Washington. It awarded 728 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at PLU about 4.0 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $58,258 per year to attend the school. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the PLU is $235,362. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #14, Whitworth University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. Whitworth is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spokane, Washington. It awarded 625 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Whitworth graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $61,088 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Whitworth be around $254,126. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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University of Puget Sound ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. Puget Sound is located in Tacoma, Washington and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 664 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
At Puget Sound, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $68,146. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Puget Sound is about $281,443. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Puget Sound also took the #5 spot in our Best Colleges in Washington rankings.
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With a ranking of #16, Northwest University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. Kirkland, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 250 students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Northwest University is 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $45,300 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Northwest University is $190,260. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
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Cornish College of the Arts came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Washington ranking. Cornish College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 145 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.0 years for the average student at Cornish College of the Arts to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $51,424 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Cornish College of the Arts is $207,753. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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Seattle Pacific University landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Washington ranking. SPU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 723 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at SPU about 4.2 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $61,452 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from SPU be around $261,171. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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DigiPen Institute of Technology landed the #19 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Washington ranking. Redmond, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 185 students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Digipen about 4.4 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $48,981 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Digipen is $216,496. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The low student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #20, Saint Martin’s University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Washington list. Saint Martin’s is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lacey, Washington. It awarded 307 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Saint Martin’s graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $54,560 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $230,789 to get a bachelor’s degree from Saint Martin’s. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The low student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 20 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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