Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in Washington
5
Meet the Ranking Threshold
4
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$13,965
With a Fully Online Option
1
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Washington
General studies bachelor's degrees in Washington are five programs that together awarded 10 degrees in the latest year, so none reached the 10-degree threshold the national ranking requires, and the four with a graduation rate are ranked here within Washington on the national formula. Two are at the University of Washington, 4 degrees at the Bothell campus and 1 at Seattle, and three are private: Seattle Pacific University with 3, and City University of Seattle and Walla Walla University in College Place with 1 each.
The two public programs take the top two places. UW Seattle ranks first at 53.3: it charges residents $12,643 in tuition and required fees and graduates 85% of first-time, full-time students, the highest completion figure here and the 98th percentile of the national pool. UW Bothell ranks second at 48.2, charging $12,559 and graduating 65%. Nonresidents pay $41,997 and $41,913 at the two campuses. Seattle Pacific ranks third at 38.6, charging $38,814 and graduating 62%, and Walla Walla fourth at 38.4, at $33,027 and 60%. City University charges $13,965 and runs its program fully online, but isn't scored because it lacks a graduation rate.
A program this small at a university this large is a finishing degree, and Washington's transfer law is written for that student: a community or technical college graduate arriving with a Direct Transfer Agreement associate and two years to go. The sections below cover cost, how the law moves your credits in, and what to ask each college.
The 4 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Washington
The general studies bachelor's degrees in Washington are ranked below within the state. Each awarded fewer than the 10 degrees a year the national bachelor's degree ranking requires, so none is on the national list, but each is scored on the same formula and against the same national programs, so a score here means what it means there. The number on each card is the program's place in Washington.
1
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Washington
53.3- Public
- College graduation rate
- 85%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $12,643 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 1
About the Program
Some 56,997 students attend University of Washington-Seattle Campus, a public university in Seattle, Washington. It conferred 1 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 1% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Across the whole college, 85% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 98% of the institutions behind this list. Expect tuition and fees of $12,643 a year as a resident and $41,997 otherwise. Getting in is not automatic, because 39% of applicants are admitted. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 98th percentile.
2
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Washington
48.2- Public
- College graduation rate
- 65%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $12,559 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 4
About the Program
Bothell, Washington is home to University of Washington-Bothell Campus, a public university of 6,058 students. It conferred 4 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 1% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Its college-wide graduation rate is 65%, the 86th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Expect tuition and fees of $12,559 a year as a resident and $41,913 otherwise. About 91% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 86th percentile.
3
Seattle Pacific University
Washington
38.6- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 62%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $38,814 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 3
About the Program
Some 2,261 students attend Seattle Pacific University, a private nonprofit university in Seattle, Washington. During the most recent year on record it awarded 3 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 1st percentile for size. A 62% graduation rate puts the college at the 83rd percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees are $38,814 a year for every student, residents and nonresidents alike. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 83% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 83rd percentile.
4
Walla Walla University
Washington
38.4- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 60%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $33,027 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 1
About the Program
Based in College Place, Washington, Walla Walla University is a private nonprofit university with 1,426 students on its rolls. Some 1 bachelor's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 1% of the programs ranked alongside it. Across the whole college, 60% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 78% of the institutions behind this list. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $33,027 a year in tuition and fees. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 78th percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Washington
The other general studies bachelor's degrees in Washington did not report a graduation rate or a published cost, which the score needs, so they are listed here without one.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| City University of Seattle, Seattle | 1 | $13,965 |
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 Bachelor's Degree Cost in Washington?
A general studies bachelor's degree in Washington costs $13,965 a year in resident tuition and required fees at the median of the five programs, which is City University of Seattle's 2023-24 rate, and the range runs from $12,559 at the University of Washington's Bothell campus to $38,814 at Seattle Pacific University. The two UW campuses and City University sit within $1,406 of each other for a resident, while Walla Walla University at $33,027 and Seattle Pacific cost two and a half to three times as much. For a nonresident the order changes: UW Bothell charges $41,913 and UW Seattle $41,997, so an out-of-state student pays less at any of the three private colleges, which charge one rate.
Check the Washington College Grant first. Under RCW 28B.92.200, you need to be enrolled for at least three quarter credits or the equivalent semester credits at an institution of higher education in Washington. For 2026-27, the Student Achievement Council says a student from a family of four with income of $83,500 or less gets a full award, with partial awards for families of four earning up to $139,500. Ask each college what the grant is worth at its price.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Washington?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Washington under RCW 28B.10.696, which binds the receiving four-year college. If you earned a transferable associate of arts or sciences degree, you have junior standing when admitted to a four-year institution, and if the degree is the direct transfer associate of arts you are deemed to have met the lower division general education requirements of the receiving four-year institution. The Student Achievement Council says the DTA degree transfers to all public four-year schools and to many independent colleges in Washington, firm at UW Bothell and UW Seattle, a question to ask at the three private colleges.
The same law has a provision aimed at a degree like this one. Each institution must develop at least one degree within the arts and sciences that can be completed within the equivalent of ninety quarter upper-division credits by a junior-standing transfer with general education done. Ask UW Bothell or Seattle whether its general studies degree is that degree, because if it is, two years of upper-division work after a DTA is the whole plan.
How your electives and non-DTA credits are applied, and how many credits you must take in residence, are campus decisions, so get them in writing. And if you left a two-year college before finishing, ask about Washington's reverse transfer degrees.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Washington?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's 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 Bachelor's Degree Program in Washington
How to choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in Washington starts with residency, because the University of Washington's two campuses are the cheapest option for a resident at $12,559 and $12,643 and the most expensive for anyone else at $41,913 and $41,997. A resident with a Direct Transfer Agreement associate has a clear path: junior standing and general education done by law at UW Seattle, which ranks first in the state and graduates 85%, or UW Bothell, second and graduating 65%. A nonresident should compare City University's $13,965 online program with Walla Walla at $33,027 and Seattle Pacific at $38,814.
Every program here is small, 1 to 4 degrees a year, so you'll be one of a handful wherever you go, and that makes the questions practical: whether the college treats the general studies bachelor's as its 90-upper-division-credit arts and sciences degree for transfer students, how many of your credits must be taken in residence, whether a private college honors the DTA as the public universities must, and what the Washington College Grant pays at its price. If you haven't started a two-year degree, the national associate degree ranking lists the programs that feed these five.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Washington have their own page.