2024 Average Tuition, Fees, and Living Costs in Washington State

The average tuition & fees of Washington colleges is $6,437 for Washington residents and $12,983 for students from other States. Whitman College has the highest (most expensive) tuition & fees of $61,492 and Northwest Indian College has the lowest tuition & fees (cheapest) of $3,969.

For graduate programs, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences has the highest (most expensive) graduate tuition & fees of $0 and Faith International University has the lowest graduate tuition & fees (cheapest) of $8,850 in Washington.

Best Colleges Tuition Trends Comparison By City

See Washington Schools By Type/Category

Pubic Schools Private Schools National Universities Liberal Arts Colleges Community Colleges

2024 Costs of Attendance (COA)

The average COA of Washington 4-year colleges in 2024 is $25,071 for Washington residents and $32,057 for students from other states. The COA includes tuition & fees, books & supplies, room & board, and other living expenses, but it excludes health insurance fee and uncommon expenses.

Table

Table. 2024 Average Costs of Attendance for Washington Colleges (4-Years)
	Undergraduate		Graduate
	In-State	Out-of-State	In-State	Out-of-State
Tuition & Fees	$6,536	$13,522	$15,456	$29,846
Books & Supplies	$895		$895
Room & Board	$17,640		$17,640
COA	$25,071	$32,057	$33,991	$48,381

Chart

Washington Best Colleges

Northwest University

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Gonzaga University

Western Washington University

Pacific Lutheran University

Seattle University

University of Washington-Bothell Campus

Washington State University

University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

Whitman College

View & Compare Washington Best Colleges

Undergraduate Tuition & Fees

In Washington, 104 schools offer undergraduate programs. The average undergraduate tuition & fees of Washington colleges is $6,437 for Washington residents and $12,983 for out-of-state students for the academic year 2023-2024.

The Washington tuition & fees have risen 3.33% from last year (4 years colleges). The following table and chart describe the 2024 undergraduate tuition & fees trends over last 5 years in 4-years and 2-4 years (community colleges) colleges.

Table

Table. 2024 Average Undergraduate Tuition & Fees for Washington Universities and Colleges
	Public Schools				Private Schools
	4 Years or High		2-4 Years		4 Years or High	2-4 Years
	In-State	Out-of-State	In-State	Out-of-State	4 Years or High	2-4 Years
2020	$5,748	$12,006	$4,738	$10,454	$29,067	$18,726
2021	$5,915	$12,338	$4,843	$10,655	$29,640	$16,302
2022	$6,054	$12,615	$5,599	$10,431	$28,753	$16,658
2023	$6,213	$13,087	$5,491	$9,767	$29,619	$17,142
2024	$6,536	$13,522	$5,809	$9,390	$30,218	$18,658

Chart

Expensive Washington Colleges (Highest Undergraduate Tuition)

Whitman College	$61,492
University of Puget Sound	$59,900
Seattle University	$54,285
Gonzaga University	$53,500
Pacific Lutheran University	$50,964

Inexpensive Washington Colleges (Lowest Undergraduate Tuition)

Northwest Indian College	$3,969
Green River College	$5,105
Peninsula College	$5,111
Highline College	$5,156
Pierce College District	$5,211

Based on out-of-state tuition rates of 4 years (or high) colleges

Graduate Program Tuition & Fees

34 Washington colleges offer graduate programs. The average graduate program tuition fees of Washington colleges is $15,456 for Washington residents and $29,846 for students from other States. The graduate tuition & fees rose 102.36% from last year.

The following table and chart describe the 2024 graduate tuition & fees and show last 5 years' tuition change.

Table

Table. 2024 Average Graduate Tuition & Fees for Washington Universities and Colleges
	Public Schools		Private Schools
	In-State	Out-of-State	Private Schools
2020	$14,596	$28,056	$21,028
2021	$14,063	$27,208	$21,019
2022	$14,375	$27,745	$21,296
2023	$15,045	$29,159	$22,229
2024	$15,456	$29,846	$23,045

Chart

Expensive Graduate Schools in Washington

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences	$41,756
Cornish College of the Arts	$41,642
University of Puget Sound	$38,676
Seattle Film Institute	$34,000
Pacific Lutheran University	$33,051

Inexpensive Graduate Schools in Washington

Faith International University	$7,350
Charter College	$9,604
Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs	$9,720
Heritage University	$10,020
City University of Seattle	$12,167

Based on out-of-state tuition rates of 4 years (or high) colleges

2024 Books & Supplies Costs

The average books & supplies costs of Washington colleges in 2024 is $895. The books & supplies costs rose 100.66% from last year. Next table and chart describes the 2024 books & supplies costs and costs changes over last 5 years

Table

Table. 2024 Average Books & Supplies Costs for Washington Universities and Colleges
	Books & Supplies
2020	$952
2021	$960
2022	$969
2023	$889
2024	$895

Chart

2024 Average Living Costs

The average living costs of Washington colleges in 2024 is $17,640 when a student lives on campus such as dormitory and college apartment and $19,698 living off campus. 36 schools have on-campus living facilities in Washington State. The on-campus living costs rose 108.02% and off-campus costs rose 110.14% from last year. Next table and chart describes the 2024 living costs and compares to last 5 years.

Table

Table. 2024 Average Living Costs for Washington Universities and Colleges
	On-Campus	Off-Campus
2020	$14,020	$14,344
2021	$14,410	$14,627
2022	$14,815	$14,810
2023	$16,330	$17,884
2024	$17,640	$19,698

Chart

Most Searched Washington Colleges (last 30 days)

Undergraduate

University of Washington-Seattle Campus Public, four-years | Seattle
Gonzaga University Private, four-years | Spokane
Washington State University Public, four-years | Pullman
Western Washington University Public, four-years | Bellingham
Bellevue College Public, four-years | Bellevue
Seattle University Private, four-years | Seattle
Columbia Basin College Public, four-years | Pasco
Charter College Private, four-years | Vancouver
Seattle Pacific University Private, four-years | Seattle
Eastern Washington University Public, four-years | Cheney

compare schools

Graduate

Gonzaga University Private, four-years | Spokane
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Public, four-years | Seattle
Washington State University Public, four-years | Pullman
Western Washington University Public, four-years | Bellingham
Seattle University Private, four-years | Seattle
Antioch University-Seattle Private, four-years | Seattle
City University of Seattle Private, four-years | Seattle
Saint Martin's University Private, four-years | Lacey
Faith International University Private, four-years | Tacoma
Walla Walla University Private, four-years | College Place

compare schools

Online Schools

Charter College Private, four-years | Vancouver
Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended Education Private, four-years | Kirkland
Columbia Basin College Public, four-years | Pasco
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Public, four-years | Seattle
Washington State University Public, four-years | Pullman
City University of Seattle Private, four-years | Seattle
Gonzaga University Private, four-years | Spokane
Centralia College Public, four-years | Centralia
Seattle Pacific University Private, four-years | Seattle
Antioch University-Seattle Private, four-years | Seattle

compare schools

Technical Colleges

Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett Private, Less than 2-years | Everett
Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology Private, Less than 2-years | Kennewick
Perry Technical Institute Private, 2-4 years | Yakima
Studio Beauty School Private, Less than 2-years | Spokane Valley
Pima Medical Institute-Seattle Private, 2-4 years | Seattle
Paul Mitchell the School-Richland Private, Less than 2-years | Richland
Divers Institute of Technology Private, Less than 2-years | Seattle
International Air and Hospitality Academy Private, Less than 2-years | Vancouver
Aveda Institute Portland-Vancouver Campus Private, Less than 2-years | Vancouver
BJ's Beauty & Barber College Private, Less than 2-years | Tacoma

compare schools