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Best Value General Education Schools in Washington

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2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Washington

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

12 Colleges
$27,513 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$56,467 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Education School for You

In 2020-2021, general education students earned 419 degrees and certificates from a Washington school, making the subject the 9th in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value General Education Schools in Washington ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Washington to see which programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Washington

Check out the education programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best General Education Schools

#1

Whitworth University

Spokane, WA
$47,590 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Whitworth University to be the best value school for general education students who want to pursue a degree in Washington. Located in the suburb of Spokane, Whitworth is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Whitworth undergraduate students pay an average of $47,590 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#2

Heritage University

Toppenish, WA
$18,500 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Heritage University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools in Washington list. Located in the rural area of Toppenish, Heritage University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Heritage University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,500 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full General Education at Heritage University Report

#3

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA
$48,470 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 12 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Gonzaga University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Gonzaga are $48,470 a year.

Gonzaga also took the #5 spot in our Best General Education Schools in Washington rankings.

Read full report on General Education at Gonzaga University

$12,196 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 12 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Tacoma Campus landed the # 4 spot on the list. UW Tacoma is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Tacoma.

UW Tacoma undergraduate students pay an average of $12,196 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UW Tacoma also made our Best General Education Schools in Washington list, coming in at #1.

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$8,685 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Central Washington University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in Washington. Located in the town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

CWU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,685 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full General Education at Central Washington University Report

$11,950 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Washington - Bothell Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in Washington ranking. UW Bothell is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Bothell.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW Bothell are $11,950 per year.

UW Bothell not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best General Education Schools in Washington list.

Read full report on General Education at University of Washington - Bothell Campus

$11,970 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwest University - College of Adult and Professional Studies came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in Washington ranking. Northwest University CAPS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Kirkland.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwest University CAPS are $11,970 a year.

Read More…

$7,922 Average Tuition & Fees

Eastern Washington University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in Washington ranking. Located in the town of Cheney, EWU is a public school with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EWU are $7,922 per year.

Read full report on General Education at Eastern Washington University

#9

Northwest University

Kirkland, WA
$33,980 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwest University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. Located in the suburb of Kirkland, Northwest University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest University are $33,980 per year.

Read More…

$35,646 Average Tuition & Fees

Seattle Pacific University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools in Washington list. SPU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SPU are $35,646 per year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, SPU is ranked #2 for overall quality for education in Washington.

Read full report on General Education at Seattle Pacific University

Best Value General Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value General Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 6,275
Oregon 367
Nevada 36
Hawaii 10
Alaska 26

One of 14 majors within the area of study, general education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Education

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
Special Education 25,158
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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