2026 Best Value Microbiology Schools in Washington
[Microbiology](/majors/biological-biomedical-sciences/microbiological-sciences-immunology/microbiology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for microbiology students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Microbiology Schools in Washington
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in microbiology, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Microbiology Schools
University Of Washington Seattle Campus tops our 2026 list of the best value microbiology schools in Washington. Set in the city of Seattle, University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,973, compared with $43,209 for out-of-state students. Microbiology graduates carry a median of $15,917 in student loans. Microbiology graduates of University Of Washington Seattle Campus earn a median of $34,669 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $15,917 median debt. Roughly 39% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in microbiology will find it at Washington State University, which ranked #2. Set in the town of Pullman, Washington State University is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $13,391 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $29,950. Microbiology graduates carry a median of $21,250 in student loans. Microbiology graduates of Washington State University earn a median of $43,736 early in their careers. Set against $21,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
