Most Affordable Public Universities in Washington
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
36 public universities in Washington are listed here, 36 of them reporting a net price. They run from $3,136 a year at Northwest Indian College to $24,319 at The Evergreen State College, with a middle of about $9,879.
The cheapest are Northwest Indian College, Grays Harbor College and Spokane Community College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Washington, cheapest first · 36
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.
- Northwest Indian College
- Grays Harbor College
- Spokane Community College
- Bellingham Technical College
- South Seattle College
- Skagit Valley College
- Lake Washington Institute of Technology
- Olympic College
- Spokane Falls Community College
- Renton Technical College
- Columbia Basin College
- Tacoma Community College
- Seattle Central College
- Peninsula College
- Walla Walla Community College
- Wenatchee Valley College
- Centralia College
- Clover Park Technical College
- Highline College
- University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
- Pierce College District
- North Seattle College
- Edmonds College
- Bellevue College
- Clark College
- Whatcom Community College
- Yakima Valley College
- Cascadia College
- University of Washington-Bothell Campus
- Green River College
- Eastern Washington University
- University of Washington-Seattle Campus
- Washington State University
- Central Washington University
- Western Washington University
- The Evergreen State College
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Washington?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Northwest Indian College at about $3,136 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 public universities in Washington cost on average?
- Across the 36 public universities in Washington that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $9,879 a year after aid, running from $3,136 to $24,319.
- 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 public universities listed here it runs from 9% to 52%, 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