Paying for college in Washington

Washington's four-year colleges, what each one costs, and the state programs that change what you pay. Each college has its own page.

The state's two grants

The Washington College Grant

Every eligible student gets it. The state does not run out of money for it. For 2026-27, a family of four earning $83,500 or less gets a grant that pays full tuition and fees at a public college. The grant gets smaller as income rises, and a family of four earning more than $139,500 gets none.

At the University of Washington the largest grant is $13,203 a year. At a private college the largest grant is $6,476 a year, down from $9,739 in 2025-26.

College Bound

If your student had free or reduced-price lunch in 7th or 8th grade at a Washington public school, they are already enrolled in College Bound. Students who first qualified in 9th grade are enrolled too. It happens automatically, with nothing to sign.

At a Washington public college, it pays the tuition and required fees that state grants leave, plus $500 a year for books.

At a private Washington college, the award is cut in half from fall 2027, to half the average award at the state's public research universities.

See what the grant is worth at each income, in our guide to Washington's public universities →

Sources: the Washington Student Achievement Council, its grant amounts, College Bound, and the laws, RCW 28B.92.200, RCW 28B.92.030 and RCW 28B.118.010.

Public universities

The cost of a year for a student starting in fall 2027, living on campus. Families on aid pay less after grants. Each college's page shows the average price after grants.

College	A year, in state	Out of state	Scholarships for grades
Central Washington University Ellensburg	$31,488	$51,276	In state: $2,000 a year for two years, from a 3.0 GPA* From Idaho or Oregon: $18,600 a year, from a 3.0 GPA* From other states: $15,000 a year, from a 3.0 GPA*
Eastern Washington University Cheney	$26,748	$45,732	In state: $1,000 to $3,000, automatic, renewable for four years; the GPA levels are not published
The Evergreen State College Olympia	$31,118	$55,858	In state: $900 to $1,200 a year, from a 3.0 GPA; Evergreen says "renewable for 1 year" Out of state, except the Western Undergraduate Exchange states: $8,500 to $13,500 a year, from a 3.0 GPA*
University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell	$29,403	$62,443	By invitation; no amounts published
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle	$35,455	$68,494	In state: $10,000 a year, to selected students; renewable for up to four years Out of state: amounts vary by student, for four years, Seattle campus only
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma	$27,696	$60,736	Considered automatically; no amounts published
Washington State University Pullman	$30,212	$48,306	In state: $500 to $4,000 a year for two years* Out of state: $5,000 to $15,000 a year, from a 2.0 GPA*
Western Washington University Bellingham	$33,174	$54,073	In state: $1,000 to $4,000, for one or two years, highly competitive Out of state: $10,000 to $14,000 a year, highly competitive

The two costs are each college's full published cost of a year: tuition, fees, housing, food, books and other costs. They differ only in the tuition.

* Our college comparison shows this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.

Our guide to Washington's public universities works through 144 example families across these campuses: what four years cost at each income, and what paying in the right order saves. Read the guide →

Private colleges

The cost of a year for a student starting in fall 2027. Where a college publishes its own price, we use it. Families on aid pay less after grants. Each college's page shows what families at each income paid.

College	A year	Scholarships for grades	Promises on aid
Gonzaga University Spokane	$85,997 its own price	$23,500 to $32,000 a year, set on the whole application; 98% of applicants get one	Gonzaga Access Pledge
Heritage University Toppenish	$47,320 its own price	By application only	HU Excellence Scholarship
Northwest University Kirkland	$54,531 its own price	$10,000 to $18,000 a year, from a 3.0 GPA*	None
Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma	$70,500 its own price	$10,000 to $33,000 a year, mostly by GPA; no table published	None
Saint Martin's University Lacey	$70,042 its own price	$13,000 to $30,000 a year (not guaranteed)*	None
Seattle Pacific University Seattle	$71,371 its own price	$20,100 to $30,400 a year in 2026-27; every admitted student gets one	Falcon Bound Commitment
Seattle University Seattle	$86,035 its own price	At least $8,000 a year	College Bound students (worth asking about)
University of Puget Sound Tacoma	$94,397 its own price	Up to $45,000 a year, set on the whole application	Sound Scholars Program (worth asking about)
Walla Walla University College Place	$54,812 its own price	$9,000 to $15,000 a year, from a 3.0 GPA, or by SAT or ACT score*	None
Whitman College Walla Walla	$87,843	Up to $35,000, considered automatically; the same award for four years	Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay
Whitworth University Spokane	$46,432 its own price	$2,000 to $10,000 a year, from a 3.0 GPA*	None

* Our college comparison shows this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.

Each promise is on the college's page with its conditions and the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.

What would it cost your family?

Enter your income and savings, pick the colleges you're looking at, and see each one's cost for your family over four years.

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Costs: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027; a college's own published price where marked. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it.