Best Colleges in Washington by Salary Potential
Find out what kind of salary your bachelor’s degree could earn you. Check out this ranking of Washington’s best four-year colleges by earning potential.
| Rank | School Name | School Type | Early Career Pay | Mid-Career Pay | % High Meaning | % STEM Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | School Name: Seattle University | School Type:Private School, Religious, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$65,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$121,400 | % High Meaning:58% | % STEM Degrees:16% |
| Rank:1 | School Name: - Main Campus_50px.png) University of Washington-Seattle Campus | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$67,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$121,400 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:37% |
| Rank:3 | School Name: Whitman College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$59,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$119,700 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:36% |
| Rank:4 | School Name: Gonzaga University | School Type:Private School, Religious, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$63,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$117,500 | % High Meaning:51% | % STEM Degrees:19% |
| Rank:5 | School Name: University of Puget Sound | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$58,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$116,100 | % High Meaning:46% | % STEM Degrees:18% |
| Rank:6 | School Name: University of Washington-Bothell Campus | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$66,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$114,200 | % High Meaning:55% | % STEM Degrees:32% |
| Rank:7 | School Name:_50px.png) Seattle Pacific University | School Type:Private School, Religious, Research University | Early Career Pay:$57,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$112,600 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:15% |
| Rank:8 | School Name:_50px.png) Washington State University | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$60,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$110,100 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:22% |
| Rank:9 | School Name: Walla Walla University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$57,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$108,800 | % High Meaning:54% | % STEM Degrees:22% |
| Rank:10 | School Name: Western Washington University | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$59,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$108,300 | % High Meaning:45% | % STEM Degrees:16% |
| Rank:11 | School Name: Pacific Lutheran University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$58,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$106,200 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:15% |
| Rank:12 | School Name: City University of Seattle | School Type:Private School | Early Career Pay:$54,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$102,700 | % High Meaning:57% | % STEM Degrees:6% |
| Rank:13 | School Name:_50px.png) Central Washington University | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$57,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$99,600 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:13% |
| Rank:14 | School Name: University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$61,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$96,600 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:29% |
| Rank:15 | School Name: Saint Martin's University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$59,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$95,200 | % High Meaning:62% | % STEM Degrees:49% |
| Rank:16 | School Name: Columbia Basin College | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$56,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$94,900 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:5% |
| Rank:17 | School Name: Whitworth University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$54,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$92,700 | % High Meaning:56% | % STEM Degrees:16% |
| Rank:18 | School Name: Cornish College of the Arts | School Type:Art, Private School | Early Career Pay:$53,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$92,300 | % High Meaning:39% | % STEM Degrees:0% |
| Rank:19 | School Name: Eastern Washington University | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$55,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$90,200 | % High Meaning:51% | % STEM Degrees:17% |
| Rank:20 | School Name:Northwest University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$57,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$90,000 | % High Meaning:55% | % STEM Degrees:3% |
| Rank:21 | School Name:Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$58,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,300 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:0% |
| Rank:22 | School Name: Seattle Central College | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$54,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$87,300 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:12% |
| Rank:22 | School Name: The Evergreen State College | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$51,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$87,300 | % High Meaning:48% | % STEM Degrees:0% |
| Rank:24 | School Name: Bellevue College | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$58,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$84,100 | % High Meaning:51% | % STEM Degrees:13% |
| Rank:25 | School Name:Bastyr University | School Type:Private School | Early Career Pay:$50,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$83,600 | % High Meaning:69% | % STEM Degrees:0% |
Graduates of the University of Washington in Seattle, WA earn the highest starting salaries. UW is also the largest school in Washington – that’s a lot of Huskies.
Basketball powerhouse Gonzaga University often comes in highfor early career earnings. Obviously we aren’t including the salaries of professional athletes who graduated from these schools, like Warren Moon, Brandon Roy, Zach Scott, Nate Robinson and more.
Walla Walla University alumni are likely to say that their jobs make the world a better place – around 80 percent say their work is meaningful.