The Most Affordable Colleges in Washington That Actually Graduate Their Students

Western Washington University offers the strongest combination of affordability and graduation rate among public colleges in Washington, graduating 66% of students within six years at $12,963 in-state tuition. This ranking covers Washington’s public four-year colleges, ranked by six-year graduation rate per thousand dollars of in-state tuition, using federal IPEDS data.

Rank	College	City	6-Year Grad Rate	In-State Tuition	Out-of-State Tuition	Median ACT
1	Western Washington University	Bellingham	66%	$12,963	$25,638	27
2	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	Seattle	84%	$18,057	$31,530	N/A
3	Washington State University	Pullman	62%	$14,063	$28,860	N/A
4	Central Washington University	Ellensburg	50%	$12,430	$26,390	N/A
5	University of Washington-Bothell Campus	Bothell	68%	$18,039	$31,512	26
6	The Evergreen State College	Olympia	44%	$12,776	$27,785	25
7	Eastern Washington University	Cheney	47%	$13,758	$29,811	N/A
8	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus	Tacoma	62%	$18,273	$31,746	N/A

1. Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University graduates 66% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $12,963 per year. Out-of-state students pay $25,638. Median ACT: 27.

https://wwu.edu/

2. University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, Washington

University of Washington-Seattle Campus graduates 84% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $18,057 per year. Out-of-state students pay $31,530.

https://www.washington.edu/

3. Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University graduates 62% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $14,063 per year. Out-of-state students pay $28,860.

https://wsu.edu/

4. Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University graduates 50% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $12,430 per year. Out-of-state students pay $26,390.

https://www.cwu.edu/

5. University of Washington-Bothell Campus

Bothell, Washington

University of Washington-Bothell Campus graduates 68% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $18,039 per year. Out-of-state students pay $31,512. Median ACT: 26.

https://www.uwb.edu/

6. The Evergreen State College

Olympia, Washington

The Evergreen State College graduates 44% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $12,776 per year. Out-of-state students pay $27,785. Median ACT: 25.

https://www.evergreen.edu/

7. Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University graduates 47% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $13,758 per year. Out-of-state students pay $29,811.

https://www.ewu.edu/

8. University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

Tacoma, Washington

University of Washington-Tacoma Campus graduates 62% of its students within six years at an in-state tuition of $18,273 per year. Out-of-state students pay $31,746.

https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/

How were these colleges ranked?

These rankings score each public four-year college in Washington by dividing its six-year graduation rate by its in-state tuition per thousand dollars. A school graduating 60% of students at $10,000 in-state tuition scores 6.0; one graduating 60% at $20,000 scores 3.0. Higher score means more degree completions per dollar spent.

Data comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the federal government’s official higher education database. Graduation rates reflect the most recent six-year cohort. Only public four-year bachelor’s-granting institutions with at least 100 students in the graduation cohort are included. The ranking covers 38 qualifying public institutions in Washington.

Source: IPEDS — National Center for Education Statistics

Data from IPEDS 2022 reporting year. Published September 2026.

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