UW News

August 26, 2025

Princeton Review: UW in top 10 of ‘Best Value Colleges’

Campus buildings with fountain and flowers in foreground

The UW is one of the top 10 U.S. public universities as ranked by return on investment, according to The Princeton Review.April Hong/University of Washington

The University of Washington is one of the top 10 U.S. public universities as ranked by return on investment, according to The Princeton Review.

The Princeton Review evaluated 650 public schools and selected 209 for the 2025 list. The UW placed No. 8 overall and was fourth among West Coast universities. The Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill topped the list in that order.

At the UW, 71% of undergraduates finish their studies with no known debt and more than 86% of students are employed or have entered graduate school within seven months of commencement.  Since 2007, more than 60,000 students from the state of Washington have had tuition and fees paid for by the Husky Promise.

The Best Value Colleges were evaluated on academics, affordability and the career prospects for graduates. Data was collected from fall 2024 through spring 2025, including from institutional and student surveys. More than 40 data points were weighted covering academics, cost, financial aid, debt, graduation rates and career and salary information. More information on the methodology can be found on The Princeton Review website.

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