Best Art & Design Colleges in Washington (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 13 Art & Design programs in Washington by median earnings of Art & Design graduates four years after completing, highest first. Seattle Pacific University leads the list, though its earnings figure is not separately published.
Across the 7 schools with a reported figure, median earnings range from $54,035 to $21,433, with a median of $42,173. For 2 of the 13 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
The list includes 5 public and 8 private nonprofit institutions. Eastern Washington University posts the lowest average net price at $13,886, while University of Washington-Seattle Campus reports the highest six-year completion rate at 85%.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranks 72nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Art & Design Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Pacific University · Seattle, WA | No published median | $24,488 | $20,735 | 83.4% |
| Seattle Pacific University ranks 1st on this list and reports a six-year completion rate of 62%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (35 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (10 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (9 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($68,547) | |||||
| 2 | Walla Walla University · College Place, WA | $54,035 | $23,329 | $18,675 | Not reported |
| Walla Walla University posts median earnings of $54,035 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing, the top citable figure on the page. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (17 graduates), Music (5 graduates) | |||||
| 3 | Seattle University · Seattle, WA | No published median | $34,662 | $22,896 | 76.9% |
| Seattle University, a private nonprofit university in Seattle, admits 77% of applicants and has an average net price of $34,662. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (23 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (18 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (11 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Film/Video and Photographic Arts ($62,385) | |||||
| 4 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | No published median | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus reports a six-year completion rate of 85% and an average net price of $14,091. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (141 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (67 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (38 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($89,193), Fine and Studio Arts ($53,805) | |||||
| 5 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | No published median | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University ranks 129th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an average net price of $7,074 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Design and Applied Arts (28 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (23 graduates), Music (15 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($69,224) | |||||
| 6 | Western Washington University · Bellingham, WA | $47,264 | $21,193 | $12,915 | 93.3% |
| Western Washington University reports median earnings of $47,264 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing and admits 93% of applicants. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (66 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (60 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (42 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Design and Applied Arts ($69,715), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft ($40,616), Music ($38,858) | |||||
| 7 | Central Washington University · Ellensburg, WA | $44,278 | $18,476 | $11,846 | 90.6% |
| Central Washington University graduates 54% of its students within six years and reports median earnings of $44,278 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Music (46 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (33 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (25 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Music ($51,008), Film/Video and Photographic Arts ($45,152), Fine and Studio Arts ($40,251) | |||||
| 8 | University of Puget Sound · Tacoma, WA | $42,173 | $38,394 | $23,643 | 72.3% |
| University of Puget Sound ranks 1437th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and has an average net price of $38,394. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (9 graduates), Music (8 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($43,032), Music ($41,207) | |||||
| 9 | Pacific Lutheran University · Tacoma, WA | No published median | $19,589 | $13,609 | 78.0% |
| Pacific Lutheran University admits 78% of applicants and reports an average net price of $13,609 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (16 graduates), Music (11 graduates), Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (8 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Fine and Studio Arts ($43,650) | |||||
| 10 | Northwest University · Kirkland, WA | $37,112 | $22,288 | $17,996 | 83.2% |
| Northwest University reports median earnings of $37,112 for its Art & Design graduates four years after completing and a six-year completion rate of 71%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Music (7 graduates) | |||||
| 11 | Whitman College · Walla Walla, WA | $25,194 | $33,313 | $13,567 | 38.2% |
| Whitman College reports median earnings of $25,194 for its Art & Design graduates two years after completing and admits 38% of applicants. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Film/Video and Photographic Arts (12 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (12 graduates), Music (7 graduates) | |||||
| 12 | Eastern Washington University · Cheney, WA | No published median | $13,886 | $9,547 | 90.8% |
| Eastern Washington University ranks 316th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and holds the lowest average net price on the page at $13,886. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Fine and Studio Arts (21 graduates), Music (17 graduates), Film/Video and Photographic Arts (12 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Film/Video and Photographic Arts ($39,404) | |||||
| 13 | Whitworth University · Spokane, WA | $21,433 | $26,534 | $16,788 | 89.8% |
| Whitworth University ranks 13th on this list, reporting median earnings of $21,433 for its Art & Design graduates two years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Music (17 graduates), Design and Applied Arts (9 graduates), Fine and Studio Arts (8 graduates) | |||||
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Art & Design graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only schools with a reported Art & Design earnings cohort in Washington appear. The figure covers federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. For 2 of the 13 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 7 schools with a published figure. The spread from Seattle Pacific University to Walla Walla University is $32,602.