Whitman College outranks Univ. of Washington, Seattle U. as top school in new survey

With the first early decision college-application deadline looming on November 1, and tuition plus room and board at a four-year college costing between $28,000 and $60,000 per year, the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its reports on 2025’s Best College & University Rankings. These rankings aim to help college-bound seniors make informed school choices.

In Washington, the top 10 colleges and universities are led by Whitman College, followed by the University of Washington-Seattle Campus and Gonzaga University. Other notable institutions include Seattle University, Pacific Lutheran University, and the University of Puget Sound.

WalletHub compared over 800 higher-education institutions in the U.S. based on 30 key measures grouped into seven categories, including Student Selectivity, Cost & Financing, and Career Outcomes. The data set ranges from student-faculty ratios to graduation rates to salaries after graduation.

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Whitman College stands out with a second-place ranking in Admission Rate, first in Student-Faculty Ratio, and third in Graduation Rate. “Whitman College excels in providing a personalized education experience,” WalletHub noted in the rankings. However, it ranks 12th in Net Cost and ninth in On-Campus Crime.

The University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranks first in Admission Rate and second in both Gender & Racial Diversity and Graduation Rate. Despite its high rankings, it places 12th in Student-Faculty Ratio. “The University of Washington offers a diverse and inclusive environment,” WalletHub commented.

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Gonzaga University is highlighted for its first-place rankings in Graduation Rate and Post-Attendance Median Salary. It also ranks third in Admission Rate and On-Campus Crime. “Gonzaga University prepares students well for their careers,” WalletHub stated.

“Universities and colleges that offer career placement support, have active alumni, offer internships and externships for students, and have connections to potential employers would, in my opinion, provide the best return on investment,” Cara Djonko-Moore, Associate Professor and Chair of Educational Studies at Rhodes College commented in the survey. “Also, universities and colleges that offer health professions advising and pre-law advising with acceptance rates higher than the national average would also provide the best return on investment.”

“Some private universities may be very expensive, but their returns are high in specific fields,” Ray Schroeder, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois Springfield said. “Community colleges are among the most economical of institutions for the first two years of college. Sometimes, states support the tuition at two-year schools and often some classes can be taken concurrently with the last couple of years of high school. State universities often have high enrollments that can provide savings of scale to the institution, resulting in somewhat lower expenses that private universities. However, in the final analysis, the best decision often comes down to a wide variety of factors and preferences.”

Nationally, Princeton University took the top spot followed by Yale and Harvard.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.