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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in Washington

11 Ranked Colleges
953 Degrees Awarded
$17,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in Washington

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across Washington, there were 17,008 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,577 and $13,641 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 953 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,202 and $21,977 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts general studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in Washington

#1

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Pullman, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 115 students in 2019-2020.

Wazzu did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend Washington State University is $16,358 for washington bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Wazzu Liberal Arts General Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#3

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Washington University landed the #3 spot on the list. EWU is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 5 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

EWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $12,607 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students per year to attend Eastern Washington University.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Eastern Washington University

#4

The Evergreen State College

Olympia, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Evergreen State College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. This small school is located in Olympia, Washington, and it awarded 628 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree liberal arts students list, Evergreen has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Evergreen is $13,604 for washington bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at The Evergreen State College

#5

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Washington University landed the #5 spot on the list. WWU is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

WWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $16,529 for washington bachelor’s degree liberal arts students per year to attend Western Washington University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Western Washington University

#6

Antioch University - Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Antioch University - Seattle did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Antioch University - Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Antioch University - Seattle Liberal Arts General Studies Report

With a ranking of #7, Whitworth University - Adult Degree Programs did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Whitworth University - Adult Degree Programs is a small school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 39 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Whitworth University - Adult Degree Programs did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Whitworth University - Adult Degree Programs

#8

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington

Seattle University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 40 students in 2019-2020.

Seattle U also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Seattle University is $34,802 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Seattle U Liberal Arts General Studies Report

With a ranking of #9, University of Washington - Tacoma Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Located in Tacoma, Washington, this medium-sized public school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Tacoma, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $10,817 for washington bachelor’s degree liberal arts students per year to attend UW Tacoma.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UW Tacoma Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#10

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, Washington

Seattle Pacific University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking, coming in at #10. SPU is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree liberal arts students list, SPU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SPU is $26,505 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SPU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

University of Washington - Bothell Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking, coming in at #11. University of Washington - Bothell Campus is a medium-sized public school situated in Bothell, Washington. It awarded 24 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Bothell also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $11,060 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students per year to attend University of Washington - Bothell Campus.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UW Bothell

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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