Map of Washington State's Colleges, Universities, and Private Schools

Top Colleges and Private Universities in Washington State

University of Washington (Seattle)

The University of Washington is the largest and most prestigious public university in the state. Located in Seattle, UW is internationally recognized for research, medicine, engineering, and computer science. It consistently ranks among the top public universities in the United States.

Washington State University (Pullman)

Washington State University serves as the state’s land-grant institution. Based in Pullman, WSU is known for agriculture, veterinary medicine, engineering, and communications. It operates multiple campuses across Washington.

Western Washington University (Bellingham)

Western Washington University is a well-regarded public university in Bellingham, near the Canadian border. It is especially known for environmental sciences, education, and business programs, and consistently ranks high for undergraduate teaching quality.

Eastern Washington University (Cheney)

Eastern Washington University, located near Spokane, offers a strong selection of undergraduate and graduate programs. It is known for education, health sciences, and business, serving much of eastern Washington.

Central Washington University (Ellensburg)

Central Washington University provides a wide range of academic programs with a strong focus on teaching and applied learning. Located in Ellensburg, CWU is known for education, aviation, and music programs.

Seattle University (Seattle)

Seattle University is a private Jesuit institution located in downtown Seattle. It is known for business, law, nursing, and engineering programs, and emphasizes ethics, leadership, and community engagement.

Gonzaga University (Spokane)

Gonzaga University is a nationally recognized private Catholic university in Spokane. It is well known for its law school, business programs, and strong liberal arts education, as well as its prominent NCAA basketball program.

Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma)

Pacific Lutheran University is a private liberal arts college in Tacoma affiliated with the Lutheran Church. PLU is known for strong programs in nursing, education, music, and the sciences, with an emphasis on global studies.

Whitman College (Walla Walla)

Whitman College is a highly selective private liberal arts college located in Walla Walla. It is known for rigorous academics, small class sizes, and strong programs in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences.

University of Puget Sound (Tacoma)

The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts university in Tacoma. It is recognized for its strong undergraduate focus, pre-med and pre-law tracks, and emphasis on interdisciplinary education.

FID = Feature ID
IPEDSID = Washington State's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data ID
NAME = Name for selected Washington State University, College or School
ADDRESS = Primary street address or PO Box for selected Washington University, College or School
ADDRESS2 = Secondary street address (e.g., Apt, Suite, Floor)
CITY = Washington city for the selected feature
STATE = ABV of selected feature state
ZIP = Feature Zip Code
ZIP4 = Census block zip code
TELEPHONE = Phone number for selected Washington University, College or School
TYPE = Specific categorical breakdown of the feature ( 1 = Public, 2 = Private not-for-profit, 3 = Private for-profit, -3 = Not available )
STATUS = Operational status of the feature ( M = Closed in current year (active, has data), A = Active - institution active, C = Combined with other institution, N = New (active) - added during the current year, R = Restore (active) - restored to the current universe, D = Delete out of business )
POPULATION = Sum of total enrollment and total employees. For records where the total employees is NULL, Population is total enrollment.
COUNTY = U.S. County feature is located
COUNTYFIPS = County Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code - 5 digits
COUNTRY = World Country
LATITUDE = Decimal Degree Latitude
LONGITUDE = Decimal Degree LONGITUDE
NAICS_CODE = North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code
NAICS_DESC = Type of Washington University, College or School
SOURCE = Web source
SOURCE_DAT = Source date
VAL_METHOD = Methodology used to validate location of Washington University, College or School
VAL_DATE = Date when location was validated
WEBSITE = Feature's web site
STFIPS = State Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code - 2 digit
COFIPS = County Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code - 3 digit
SECTOR = Sector of feature ( 1 = Public, 4-year or above, 2 = Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above, 3 = Private for-profit, 4-year or above, 4 = Public, 2-year, 5 = Private not-for-profit, 2-year, 6 = Private for-profit, 2-year, 7 = Public, less-than 2-year, 8 = Private not-for-profit, less-than 2-year, 9 = Private for-profit, less-than 2-year, 99 = Sector unknown (not active))
LEVEL = Level of institution (1 = Four or more years, 2 = At least 2 but less than 4 years, -3 = Not Available, 3 = Less than 2 years (below associate) )
HI_OFFER = Highest level offered ( 1 = Award of less than one academic year, 2 = At least 1, but less than 2 academic yrs, 3 = Associates degree, 4 = At least 2, but less than 4 academic yrs, 5 = Bachelors degree, 6 = Post-baccalaureate certificate, 7 = Masters degree, 8 = Post-masters certificate, 9 = Doctors degree )
DEG_GRANT = Degree-granting status ( 1 = Degree-granting, 2 = Non-degree granting, primarily postsecondary, 3 = Not available )
LOCALE = Degree of urbanization ( -3 = Not available, 11 = City: Large, 12 = City: Midsize, 13 = City: Small, 21 = Suburb: Large, 22 = Suburb: Midsize, 23 = Suburb: Small, 31 = Town: Fringe, 32 = Town: Distant, 33 = Town: Remote, 41 = Rural: Fringe, 42 = Rural: Distant, 43 = Rural: Remote)
CLOSE_DATE = Date feature closed (mmddyyyy)
MERGE_ID = Unique ID for merged schools (IPEDSID)
ALIAS = Feature name alias
SIZE_SET = Carnegie Classification 2005 size and setting ( -3 = Not available, -2 = Not applicable, 0 = Not classified, 1 = Very small two-year, 2 = Small two-year, 3 = Medium two-year, 4 = Large two-year, 5 = Very large two-year, 6 = Very small four-year, primarily nonresidential, 7 = Very small four-year, primarily residential, 8 = Very small four-year, highly residential, 9 = Small four-year, primarily nonresidential, 10 = Small four-year, primarily residential, 11 = Small four-year, highly residential, 12 = Medium four-year, primarily nonresidential, 13 = Medium four-year, primarily residential, 14 = Medium four-year, highly residential, 15 = Large four-year, primarily nonresidential, 16 = Large four-year, primarily residential, 17 = Large four-year, highly residential, 18 = Exclusively graduate/professional )
INST_SIZE = Feature size category based on student enrollment ( 1 = Under 1,000, 2 = 1,000 - 4,999, 3 = 5,000 - 9,999, 4 = 10,000 - 19,999, 5 = 20,000 and above, -1 = Not reported, -2 Not applicable )
PT_ENROLL = Estimated enrollment, part-time
FT_ENROLL = Estimated enrollment, full-time
TOT_ENROLL = Estimated enrollment, total
HOUSING = Institution provides on-campus housing ( -1 = Not reported, 2 = No, 1 = Yes, -2 = Not applicable )
DORM_CAP = Total dormitory capacity
TOT_EMPLOY = Total employed
SHELTER_ID = National Shelter System ID

Map Source: HIFLD Open portal

As of August 26, 2025, Homeland Security has discontinued data access so I can no longer update this and other maps for 2025 and who knows when? The HIFLD Open portal will be available until September 16, 2025 and then Home Land Security will totally shut it down. It is now best to use University and Private data sources for your research and reference map and database projects. Also, a TON of schools, universities, and colleges have closed since Covid. It is best to check the school websites you query and see if they are still in business.

Map copyright: cccarto.com

School State Index

Washington State's Colleges and Private Schools