Affordable Private Colleges in Washington
Private nonprofit four-year colleges, ranked by net price after aid. Their sticker prices are the highest and their discounts are the deepest, so the published tuition tells you very little.
13 private colleges in Washington are listed here, 13 of them reporting a net price. They run from $14,598 a year at Heritage University to $38,394 at University of Puget Sound, with a middle of about $26,534.
The cheapest are Heritage University, Pacific Lutheran University and Northwest University. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Private colleges in Washington, cheapest first · 13
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Heritage University
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Northwest University
- Faith International University
- Walla Walla University
- Seattle Pacific University
- Whitworth University
- Saint Martin's University
- Whitman College
- Seattle University
- Gonzaga University
- Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended Education
- University of Puget Sound
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable private college in Washington?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Heritage University at about $14,598 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do private colleges in Washington cost on average?
- Across the 13 private colleges in Washington that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $26,534 a year after aid, running from $14,598 to $38,394.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the private colleges listed here it runs from 14% to 67%, with a middle of about 26%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free