College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Nursing Schools in Washington

40 Colleges in Washington
3,851 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$75,342 Avg Early-Career Salary
Nursing is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 40 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Nursing Schools in Washington ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,851 degrees in nursing to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Nursing School

Best Nursing Schools in Washington The nursing program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Nursing rankings. For our Best Overall Nursing School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Nursing Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Nursing
Bachelor's Degrees in Nursing
Master's Degrees in Nursing
Doctor's Degrees in Nursing

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Nursing Schools in Washington list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Nursing in Washington

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Washington Schools in Nursing

1
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
298 Nursing Degrees Awarded
38.6% Growth in Graduates

Seattle University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in nursing. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #155 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Seattle U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 298 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Seattle U in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Seattle University receive $12,704 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from Seattle University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
258 Nursing Degrees Awarded
1.6% Growth in Graduates

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a good choice for students interested in a degree in nursing. UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were approximately 258 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive $19,496 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

3
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
227 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$94,829 Median Starting Salary

Gonzaga University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in nursing. Gonzaga is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Spokane. A Best Colleges rank of #172 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Gonzaga is a great university overall.

There were about 227 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Gonzaga in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at Gonzaga University earn $19,487 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from Gonzaga University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
449 Nursing Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

Washington State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in nursing. Wazzu is a very large public university located in the distant town of Pullman. A Best Colleges rank of #175 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.

There were roughly 449 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Washington State University receive $13,728 more than the average nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from Washington State University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
141 Nursing Degrees Awarded
8.5% Growth in Graduates

PLU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Tacoma. A Best Colleges rank of #688 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means PLU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 141 nursing students who graduated with this degree at PLU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, nursing degree recipients usually make around $72,372 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in nursing from Pacific Lutheran University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Nursing Degrees Awarded
48.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Seattle, SPU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #518 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SPU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 81 nursing students who graduated with this degree at SPU in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from Seattle Pacific University earn a boost of around $13,988 above the average earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from Seattle Pacific University

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Nursing Degrees Awarded
46.9% Growth in Graduates

Seattle Central is a small public college located in the city of Seattle. This college ranks 21st out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 145 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Seattle Central in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make around $72,169 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in nursing from Seattle Central College

8
BC crest
Bellevue College
Bellevue, WA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
117 Nursing Degrees Awarded
30.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Bellevue, BC is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #541 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means BC is a great college overall.

There were about 117 nursing students who graduated with this degree at BC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, nursing degree recipients typically earn about $69,807 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in nursing from Bellevue College

9
Highline crest
Highline College
Des Moines, WA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
142 Nursing Degrees Awarded
44.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Des Moines, Highline is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 20th out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 142 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Highline in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, nursing degree recipients generally make about $69,653 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in nursing from Highline College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Nursing Degrees Awarded
3.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Yakima, YVC is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 38th out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 57 nursing students who graduated with this degree at YVC in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, nursing degree recipients generally make about $68,855 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in nursing from Yakima Valley College


 

Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 17,965
Oregon 266 1,502
Nevada 192 1,994
Hawaii 164 534
Alaska 119 177

View All Rankings >

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 3,565
Nursing Practice 75
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 45
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 43
Nursing Administration 42
Clinical Nurse Leader 24
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 19
Nurse Anesthetist 12
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 12
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 7

View All Nursing Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 2,701
Health & Medical Administrative Services 1,069
Mental & Social Health Services 920
Allied Health Professions 821
Dental Support Services 813
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 649
Public Health 640
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 530
Medicine 478
Health Sciences & Services 408

View All Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options