Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in Washington
3
Meet the Ranking Threshold
1
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$11,350
With a Fully Online Option
1
General Studies Associate Degrees in Washington
General studies associate degrees in Washington are three programs, and the public one, Edmonds College in Lynnwood, is the only one ranked, on 11 degrees a year, one over the threshold. It scores 35, which places it 359th in the national associate ranking, on a 29% graduation rate and $4,668 a year in resident tuition and required fees, the lowest price for a general studies degree in the state. The other two programs are private: City University of Seattle, which awarded 17 associate degrees a year online at $13,965 and is listed without a score, and Pacific Northwest Christian College in Kennewick, which awarded 9 at $11,350 and graduates 100% of its first-time, full-time students.
That is a short list for a state with a large community and technical college system, and the reason is the label. Most of Washington's two-year colleges award their transfer degree as a Direct Transfer Agreement associate of arts rather than under the general studies name, so the three programs here are the exceptions that carry the general studies title, not the whole of the state's two-year transfer market.
What the three share is the system around them. Washington law ties junior standing and finished general education to the transferable associate degree, the Washington College Grant reaches down to three quarter credits, and reverse transfer lets a student who left early still collect the two-year degree. Each is covered below.
The Best General Studies Associate Degree in Washington
The best general studies associate degrees in Washington are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Washington. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Edmonds College
Washington
35.0- Public
- College graduation rate
- 29%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $4,668 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 11
About the Program
Lynnwood, Washington is home to Edmonds College, a public college of 6,549 students. During the most recent year on record it awarded 11 associate's degrees, a count at the 4th percentile for size. A 29% graduation rate puts the college at the 29th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees are $4,668 a year for residents and $10,553 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 70% of programs at this level. Strongest of its measures is price, which lands at the 70th percentile.
Other General Studies Associate Degrees in Washington
The other general studies associate degrees in Washington awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| City University of Seattle, Seattle | 17 | $13,965 | |
| Pacific Northwest Christian College, Kennewick | 9 | 100% | $11,350 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Washington?
A general studies associate degree in Washington costs $11,350 a year in tuition and required fees at the median, which with three programs is Pacific Northwest Christian College's 2023-24 rate, and the range runs from $4,668 at Edmonds College to $13,965 at City University of Seattle. Edmonds is the only program where residency changes the bill: nonresidents pay $10,553 there, still below either private college. City University and Pacific Northwest Christian charge everyone the same rate.
The Washington College Grant is the state aid that fits a two-year student, and its defining feature is how little enrollment it takes. Under RCW 28B.92.200, eligibility starts at at least three quarter credits or the equivalent semester credits at an institution of higher education in Washington, and a part-time student receives a prorated portion of the grant for any term enrolled part time. So a working adult taking one class a quarter at Edmonds is inside the program, not outside it. The income test is generous too: for 2026-27, a student from a family of four earning $83,500 or less gets a full award, and families of four earning up to $139,500 can get a partial one.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Washington?
A general studies associate degree will transfer in Washington with junior standing and lower-division general education complete if it's a transferable associate of arts or sciences from a community or technical college, so ask Edmonds College whether its degree is the Direct Transfer Agreement associate of arts. Under RCW 28B.10.696, a graduate who has earned a transferable associate of arts or sciences degree shall have junior standing when admitted to a four-year institution, and a graduate with the direct transfer associate of arts is deemed to have met the lower division general education requirements of the receiving four-year institution. And the DTA degree transfers to all public four-year schools and to many independent colleges in Washington.
The same law protects a student who stops before the degree. Complete a year of approved general education credits and you can be issued a one-year academic completion certificate that any transferring two- or four-year public institution must accept. At a program with a 29% graduation rate, that makes a year of work at Edmonds portable even if the second year never happens.
Washington's reverse transfer degrees let students transfer credits from a four-year school toward an associate degree at a community or technical college. The two private programs sit outside that system, so ask City University or Pacific Northwest Christian how four-year colleges have treated their associate.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Washington?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Washington pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Washington
How to choose a general studies associate degree program in Washington comes down to what you want the degree to do, because the three programs are built for different things. Edmonds College is the transfer route: $4,668 a year, public, and inside the state law that gives a transferable associate junior standing at a four-year college, but with a 29% graduation rate. City University of Seattle is the online route, at $13,965 with 17 degrees a year. Pacific Northwest Christian College graduates 100% of its students on 9 degrees a year at $11,350.
If a bachelor's is the goal, ask Edmonds whether the general studies associate is awarded as the Direct Transfer Agreement associate of arts, since junior standing and the general education guarantee attach to the transferable degree, and ask the four-year college you want whether it accepts the DTA. If you're studying part time, have the aid office run your numbers for the Washington College Grant, because three quarter credits is enough to qualify and the award is prorated rather than withheld. And at either private college, ask how its associate has transferred for past students, since the state guarantee covers community and technical colleges.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in Washington have their own page.