Olympia — A new study has identified the best value colleges in Washington state, and several Puget Sound campuses are on the list.
SmartAsset, a company that offers financial advice, compiled the list using five metrics, including scholarships, median starting salary, tuition costs, living costs and student retention rates.
University of Washington campuses in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma rank the highest on the list, in that order. The Seattle campus had the highest median starting salary at $67,400 followed by the Bothell campus at $63,300.
The Tacoma campus had a $61,700 median starting salary but a lower living cost than the other two UW campuses. Tacoma also had the lowest retention rate among the three at 75 percent compared to 93 percent at Seattle and 88 percent at Bothell.
Tuition across the three campuses was comparable at around $13,200 but scholarship amounts diverged. At $15,780 in average scholarships and grants, the Tacoma campus trailed the Seattle campus’ $16,355 average and the Bothell campus’ $17,093 average.
Western Washington University in Bellingham ranked seventh overall with a median starting salary of $59,600, tuition of $9,589 and living costs of $18,822.
Saint Martin’s University in Lacey came in eighth with a median starting salary of $59,200. Though it has a high tuition cost at $44,080, it provides an average of $29,250 in scholarships and grants.
Northwest University in Kirkland ranked sixth and Seattle University ranked tenth. The remaining campuses in the top 10 are located in eastern Washington. They include Walla Walla University in College Place in fourth place, Washington State University in Pullman at fifth place and Gonzaga University in Spokane in ninth place.
The study applies a 25 percent weight to starting salary, tuition and living costs to determine best value index. The scholarships and retention rate categories are each weighed at 12.5 percent, according to SmartAsset.
The index runs from 0 to 100 with the higher number being better.
1. University of Washington-Seattle Campus. Value Index: 82.27
2. University of Washington-Bothell Campus. Value Index 78.66
3. University of Washington-Tacoma Campus. Value Index: 67.66
4. Walla Walla University. College Place. Value Index: 66.05
5. Washington State University. Pullman. Value Index: 64.42
6. Northwest University. Kirkland. Value Index: 64.03
7. Western Washington University. Bellingham. Value Index: 63.51
8. Saint Martin’s University. Lacey. Value Index: 57.67
9. Gonzaga University. Spokane. Value Index: 57.53
10. Seattle University. Seattle. Value Index: 57.40
A complete breakdown of the list and the metrics that went into it can be found on the SmartAsset website.
