Ranking

Best Music Colleges in Washington 2026

Grays Harbor College leads this ROI ranking with an A+ value grade and a 21.36 school-wide ROI proxy. EduGradify ranks 25 eligible colleges here by earnings against net price.

28 eligible Washington colleges reporting awards in Music, ranked by EduGradify's school-wide value signal.

Schools ranked: 25
Cheapest net price: $4,783
Top earnings 10y: $78,892
Public / Private: 17 / 8

Grays Harbor College

A+

Aberdeen, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 21.36
Net price: $4,783
Earnings 10y: $40,865
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Skagit Valley College

A+

Mount Vernon, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 17.94
Net price: $6,064
Earnings 10y: $43,505
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Shoreline College

Shoreline, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 15.15
Net price: $8,585
Earnings 10y: $52,009
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Tacoma Community College

Tacoma, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 14.08
Net price: $8,376
Earnings 10y: $47,168
Acceptance: Open / not reported

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 13.92
Net price: $14,091
Earnings 10y: $78,466
Acceptance: 39.2%

Lower Columbia College

Longview, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 13.33
Net price: $7,630
Earnings 10y: $40,691
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Spokane Falls Community College

Spokane, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 13.14
Net price: $7,409
Earnings 10y: $38,955
Acceptance: Open / not reported

South Puget Sound Community College

Olympia, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 12.33
Net price: $9,132
Earnings 10y: $45,039
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Bellevue College

Bellevue, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 12.32
Net price: $11,430
Earnings 10y: $56,310
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#10

Pierce College District

Lakewood, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 11.62
Net price: $10,222
Earnings 10y: $47,532
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#11

Washington State University

Pullman, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 11.51
Net price: $14,971
Earnings 10y: $68,905
Acceptance: 86.6%

#12

Edmonds College

Lynnwood, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 10.93
Net price: $11,010
Earnings 10y: $48,144
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#13

Wenatchee Valley College

Wenatchee, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 10.58
Net price: $9,722
Earnings 10y: $41,127
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#14

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 10.42
Net price: $13,886
Earnings 10y: $57,897
Acceptance: 90.8%

#15

Clark College

Vancouver, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 9.24
Net price: $11,465
Earnings 10y: $42,356
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#16

Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, WA · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 8.55
Net price: $19,589
Earnings 10y: $66,990
Acceptance: 78%

#17

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 8.33
Net price: $18,476
Earnings 10y: $61,580
Acceptance: 90.6%

#18

Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA · Public

ROI proxy: 7.38
Net price: $21,193
Earnings 10y: $62,569
Acceptance: 93.3%

#19

Walla Walla University

College Place, WA · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 6.63
Net price: $23,329
Earnings 10y: $61,885
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#20

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, WA · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 6.59
Net price: $24,488
Earnings 10y: $64,506
Acceptance: 83.4%

#21

Northwest University

Kirkland, WA · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 6.16
Net price: $22,288
Earnings 10y: $54,914
Acceptance: 83.2%

#22

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 5.62
Net price: $35,119
Earnings 10y: $78,892
Acceptance: 81.7%

#23

Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 5.52
Net price: $28,119
Earnings 10y: $62,092
Acceptance: 89.8%

#24

Whitworth University

Spokane, WA · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 5.52
Net price: $26,534
Earnings 10y: $58,561
Acceptance: 89.8%

#25

Seattle University

Seattle, WA · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 5.43
Net price: $34,662
Earnings 10y: $75,272
Acceptance: 76.9%

How we picked this list

This list starts with Washington schools reporting awards in Music, excludes low-denominator, very small and incomplete records, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The eligible set's average EduGradify ROI proxy is 10.54 (17 public, 8 private).

ROI lists require average net price of at least $4,600, enrollment of at least 500 and a reported graduation rate so unusually small denominators or incomplete records cannot dominate the public leaderboard.

Source transparency: every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard public data set. See our full methodology for the ROI formula, value grade rules and missing-data handling.

FAQ

Who leads this ranking?

Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, WA tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.

How does EduGradify pick this list?

We rank this set by roi proxy using the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — see our methodology for the full formula. No paid placements, no surveys.

How many Washington colleges are in this list?

28 Washington colleges qualified for this ranking based on available federal data.

What does net price mean here?

Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — not the sticker price. It is reported by each college to the U.S. Department of Education.

Can I use this ranking as a final college decision?

Use it as a shortlist, not a final decision. The ranking compares school-wide federal data; you should still confirm program fit, aid letters, graduation path, transfer policies and current costs with each college.