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2021 Best Colleges for International Students in Washington

17 Colleges
$38,509 Avg Tuition & Fees*
51% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

International students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for International Students in Washington ranking is part of that endeavor.

We analyzed 17 colleges and universities across Washington to determine which were the best for international students in Washington. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the total number of international students at the school and the school's overall quality.

Find out more about our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in Washington for International Students

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

University of Washington - Seattle Campus tops this year’s ranking as the best school for international students in Washington. This large public school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 9,451 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 16.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UW Seattle to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report

2

Out of the 17 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Seattle University landed the #2 spot on the list. Seattle U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,446 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 9.5% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Seattle U are China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Read full report on Seattle University

3
Whitman crest
Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA

Out of the 17 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s ranking, Whitman College landed the #3 spot on the list. Walla Walla, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 345 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.1% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Whitman come from such countries as China, Canada, and Vietnam.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Whitman College

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Gonzaga University. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. Gonzaga University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 1,435 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 2.3% are international. Students studying at Gonzaga come from such countries as Canada, Saudi Arabia, and China.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Full Gonzaga University Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington State University. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for international students in Washington list. Wazzu is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 6,226 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 6.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Wazzu come from such countries as China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Read More…

6

Seattle Pacific University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Washington list. SPU is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 689 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.4% are international. Students from as far away as China, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam come to SPU to study.

Full Seattle Pacific University Report

7

Western Washington University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Washington ranking, coming in at #7. WWU is a public institution located in Bellingham, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,630 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 0.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at WWU come from such countries as Japan, China, and South Korea.

Read More…

8

Whitworth University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Washington list. Located in Spokane, Washington, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 532 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 3.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Whitworth come from such countries as Nigeria, South Korea, and Mongolia.

Read full report on Whitworth University

9

Pacific Lutheran University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Washington list. Located in Tacoma, Washington, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 604 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 1.7% are international. Students from as far away as Norway, China, and Vietnam come to PLU to study.

Full Pacific Lutheran University Report

10

University of Puget Sound landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Washington. Puget Sound is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tacoma, Washington. It awarded 567 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 0.5% are international. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and South Korea come to Puget Sound to study.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read More…

11

Saint Martin’s University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Washington ranking. Saint Martin’s University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Lacey, Washington that handed out 320 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Saint Martin’s come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, China, and India.

Read full report on Saint Martin’s University

12

Central Washington University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Washington ranking. Located in Ellensburg, Washington, the fairly large public school awarded 3,157 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 2.7% are international. Students from as far away as Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam come to CWU to study.

Full Central Washington University Report

13

With a ranking of #13, Northwest University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Washington. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Kirkland, Washington, and it awarded 230 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 7.4% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Northwest University are China, India, and South Korea.

Read More…

14
Walla Walla U crest
Walla Walla University
College Place, WA

Walla Walla University landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Washington. College Place, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 329 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.9% are international. Students from as far away as Canada, China, and Brazil come to Walla Walla U to study.

Read full report on Walla Walla University

15

Eastern Washington University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Washington list. Located in Cheney, Washington, the fairly large public school awarded 2,346 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 2.2% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at EWU are Saudi Arabia, Japan, and China.

Read More…

16

Cornish College of the Arts landed the #16 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Washington. Cornish College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 128 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 3.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Cornish College of the Arts are South Korea, Hong Kong, and Canada.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

17

The Evergreen State College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Washington ranking, coming in at #17. Evergreen is a small public school situated in Olympia, Washington. It awarded 677 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 0.3% are international. Students studying at Evergreen come from such countries as China, South Korea, and Hong Kong.

Read full report on The Evergreen State College

Best Colleges for International Students in the Far Western US Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 17 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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