Seattle, Washington is located in the Pacific Northwest. The city has a population of approximately 700,000 and the area is home to many large tech companies, such as Microsoft and Amazon. The Space Needle, Pike Place Market, and Mount Rainier are usual fixtures on postcards for the city also known as the “Emerald City.” Seattle sometimes has a bad reputation for receiving too much rain. However, many people would be surprised to learn cities such as Boston, Houston, Miami, and New York typically receive more rain than Seattle every year.

Seattle also has a well-educated population with over 50% of the population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. There are many great colleges and universities located within Seattle, as well as within one hour from the city. Therefore, if you are looking at a college in the Seattle area, you may want to consider some of these other great four-year colleges and universities in the area.

*Note – I will be featuring other cities soon.

Colleges Located In Seattle

Cornish College of the Arts
Type: Private, not-for-private
Established: 1914
Enrollment: 675 (2016/2017 academic year)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 7:1 (Fall 2015)
Acceptance rate: 68% (Fall 2015)
Cornish College of the Arts offers degrees in Visual Arts (Art, Design, Film, and Interior Architecture) and Performing Arts (Dance, Music, Performance Production, and Theater). Professors at Cornish are working professional artists and involved in the art community. Students will be surrounded by practicing artists throughout the day.

Courtesy of Seattle Pacific University

Seattle Pacific University
Type: Private, not-for-profit
Established: 1891
Affiliation: Free Methodist Church
Enrollment: 3,095 undergraduate students (Fall 2016)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1 (Fall 2015)
Acceptance rate: 82% (Fall 2015)
Seattle Pacific University offers 65 majors and 57 minors. The most popular majors are Business Administration, Psychology, Nursing, Communication, and Political Science. 95 percent of SPU undergraduates receive scholarships and/or need-based financial aid. While the Free Methodist Church of North America founded the institution, the students and faculty of today represent more than 50 different Christian denominations.

Seattle University
Type: Private, not-for-profit
Established: 1891
Affiliation: Catholic (Jesuit)
Enrollment: 4,780 undergraduate students (Fall 2016)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 13:1 (Fall 2016)
Acceptance rate: 73% (Fall 2015)
Seattle University is compiled of nine college and schools that offer 64 undergraduate programs. If students do not know what they want to major in, SeattleU offers a Premajor Studies program that provides academic support to help students choose a major. The average aid awarded to undergraduate students in 2015-2016 was $26,717.

University of Washington
Type: Public Flagship
Established: 1861
Enrollment: 31,418 undergraduate students (Fall 2016)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 20:1 (Fall 2015)
Acceptance rate: 45.3% (Fall 2016)
UW offers 180 majors in 79 departments – it offers almost any major you might be considering. There are over 800 student organizations and many opportunities to watch the UW Huskies compete. There are first year programs to help students transition to life as a student on the University of Washington campus.

Outside Seattle

Northwest University
Location: Kirkland
Distance from Seattle: 10 miles
Type: Private, Not-for-profit
Established: 1934
Enrollment: 930 undergraduate students (Fall 2015)
Affiliation: Assemblies of God
Student-to-faculty ratio: 10:1 (Fall 2015)
Acceptance rate: 64% (Fall 2015)
Northwest University offers 70 majors with the most popular majors being Nursing, Business, Communication, and Ministerial Studies. Chapel attendance is a requirement for undergraduate students and faculty and many life groups are available for the campus community.

Pacific Lutheran University
Location: Tacoma
Distance from Seattle: 41 miles
Type: Private, not-for-profit
Established: 1890
Enrollment: 2,860 undergraduate students (Fall 2015)
Affiliation: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1 (Fall 2015)
Acceptance rate: 76% (Fall 2015)
PLU offers 43 majors. Popular majors include Business, Nursing, Biology, Psychology, and Kinesiology and Exercise Science. 97% of students receive financial aid with an average aid package of $26,700.

University of Puget Sound
Location: Tacoma
Distance from Seattle: 35 miles
Type: Private, not-for-profit
Established: 1888
Enrollment: 2,476 undergraduate students (Fall 2015)
Affiliation: The United Methodist Church
Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1 (Fall 2015)
Acceptance rate: 79% (Fall 2015)
UPS offers 50 traditional and interdisciplinary programs. The most popular majors are International Political Economy, Biology, English, Business & Leadership, and Psychology. About 30% of UPS students double major and many more add minors or emphasizes. More than 90 percent of students receive need-based financial aid or merit scholarships.

University of Washington – Bothell
Location: Bothell
Distance from Seattle: 19 miles
Type: Public
Established: 1990
Enrollment: 5,113 undergraduate students (Fall 2016)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 22:1 (Fall 2015)
Acceptance rate: 79% (Fall 2015)
UW Bothell offers 45 degrees. Popular programs include the Pre-Major program, STEM, Business, and Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. UW Bothell undergraduate students have the highest salaries one-year after graduation of all undergraduates from public universities in Washington.

University of Washington – Tacoma
Location: Tacoma
Distance from Seattle: 33 miles
Type: Public
Established: 1990
Enrollment: 4,301 undergraduate students (Fall 2016)
Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1 (Fall 2016)
Acceptance rate: 83% (Fall 2015)
UW Tacoma offers 40 majors. 64% of UW Tacoma students are first-generation college students. UW Tacoma has also been recognized as one of the top 50 most diverse college campuses in the United States.

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