Affordable colleges in Washington

Washington colleges by published in-state tuition

Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.

What the Washington cost data shows

• Olympic College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $4,197 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
• Median published in-state tuition is $5,259 across the public colleges here and $10,100 across the private ones — a $4,841 difference at sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, so compare net price before ruling one out.
• Median average net price is $9,269 across the 40 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest college in Washington?

Of the 40 Washington colleges on this page, Olympic College in Bremerton reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $4,197 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.

Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?

No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 40 Washington colleges reporting it here the median is $9,269. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.

Are public colleges cheaper than private colleges in Washington?

At sticker price, yes on this page: median published in-state tuition is $5,259 at the public colleges listed and $10,100 at the private ones. Private colleges typically discount more heavily through institutional grants, so the gap in net price is usually much smaller than the gap in tuition.

Will I personally pay these amounts at a Washington college?

Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.