For business studies see our separate ranking of business schools in SeattleUSA
- 29 Oct2025: Latest CWTS Leiden Ranking from Centre for Science and Technology StudiesLeiden UniversityNetherlands. University of Washington in position #39.
- 06 Oct2025: Publication of THE World University Rankings. University of Washington ranked #25.
- 19 Jun2025: Latest QS World University Rankings from British Quacquarelli SymondsUK. 2 universities from Seattle appear in this ranking.
- 17 Jun2025: Publication of Nature Index - Top Academic Institutions by Subject (Health Sciences). University of Washington with highest ranking among universities in Seattle ranked #18.
Seattleoften referred to by locals as the Emerald Cityis a seaport city located in the state of Washington. It offers its residents a wide range of academic and work opportunitiesas well as the chance to live in a city that’s known for being intellectually openaccessible by bikeand promoting music and art in its public spaces.
Rankings of universities in SeattleUSA 2026
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QS World University Rankings
[Published 19 June2025] |
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THE World University Rankings
[Published 06 October2025] |
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Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 03 March2025] |
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Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 03 March2025] |
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Payscale College Salary Report (Bachelor's Only)
[Published 04 September2024] |
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US News Best National Universities
[Published 23 September2024] |
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Cornish College of the Arts
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Payscale College Salary Report (Bachelor's Only)
[Published 04 September2024] |
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Payscale College Salary Report (All Alumni)
[Published 04 September2024] |
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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 12 July2024] |
in BusinessComputer ScienceMedicineLawEducationHealth...
Study at your own paceconveniently from home.
Seattle Central College
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Payscale College Salary Report (Bachelor's Only)
[Published 04 September2024] |
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Payscale College Salary Report (All Alumni)
[Published 04 September2024] |
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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 12 July2024] |
Antioch University Seattle
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Payscale College Salary Report (All Alumni)
[Published 04 September2024] |
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QS World University Rankings
[Published 19 June2025] |
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Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 03 March2025] |
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Payscale College Salary Report (Bachelor's Only)
[Published 04 September2024] |
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Highest subject rankings of universities
Student Opinions About Studying in Seattle
“The experience that you end up having in Seattle can really be influenced by which neighbourhood you decide to move into. Your commute could be twice as long if you move into the wrong place - remember that distance doesn’t mean anything hereit’s all about how well connected the roads and buses are to where you need to be.”
“One of the most popular areas for student rentals is West Seattle as it’s right next to the water and you get a great view of Downtown. People who live in this area use the water taxi which ferries them over to Downtownso a lot of people use it for getting to work and so onand it’s great because the fare is covered by U-Pass so students who have one don’t have to worry about the cost.”
“When I first came to Seattle I kept hearing about the “Seattle Freeze”which is basically a way of describing the locals as people who are slow to warm to you and make friends. I think it’s a little bit of an exaggerationbecause people are perfectly friendly herebut they’re just a bit slower when it comes to making friends.”
Seattle Key Facts for International Students
PROS
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Seattle is a place where newcomers can find a job relatively easily compared to other cities in the U.S. Some of the most prolific employers in the city include AmazonBoeingNordstrom Department StoresStarbucksMicrosoftAlaska Airlinesand Costco. It’s also a city well known for having plenty of start-up businesses.
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Biking is a great way to get around Seattle, most streets have bicycle pathsand in many cases it is a much faster way to get around than dealing with the car traffic.
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One of the most popular areas in Seattle for students is Capitol Hill with plenty of nightlife opportunities for partyingeating out at quality restaurantsor checking out the city’s vibrant live music scene.
CONS
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The median rent price for a 2-bedroom apartment is almost $2,000. This places Seattle’s housing costs around $500 more than the national average. On the positive sidethe active job market makes it easier to get on your feet.
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Many long-term residents in Seattle say that the schedules of the public transport are quite unreliable, as the trains and buses tend to arrive “when they feel like it”.
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Seattle is not the most diverse city, and many international students remark that it didn’t take them long to realize that the vast majority of the city’s population is white. Some students don’t mind thisbut others do.
6 out of 6 Universities in Seattle Ranked in at least one ranking
36 Different Rankings list Universities in Seattle (25 institution and 11 subject rankings)
29 Global Rankings rank Universities in Seattle Among TOP 200
Population: 738000
Elevation: 56 m. above sea level
Time: GMT -8
District/province: WashingtonKing County
* 100 = prices in London
- Living costs without accommodation 105* (5% more expensive than London)
- All costs including accommodation 98* (2% cheaper than London)
- Meals (grocery & lower cost restaurants) 103* (3% more expensive than London)
- Average Big Mac price 5.15 US$
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- Residential voltage: 120 V
- Frequency: 60 Hz
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- Residential voltage: 120 V
- Frequency: 60 Hz
Map with location of universities in Seattle
FAQ
Ranking publishers
4icu
- Universities:
- 600
- Published:
- 07 February2024
- Universities:
- 600
- Published:
- 07 February2024
British Quacquarelli SymondsUK
- Universities:
- 15588
- Published:
- 19 June2025
- Criteria used in ranking -QS World University Rankings:
Academic Reputation 40% Employer Reputation 10% Faculty/Student Ratio 20% Citations per faculty 20% International Faculty Ratio 5% International Student Ratio 5%
- Universities:
- 1001
- Published:
- 23 September2021
- Criteria used in ranking -QS Employability Rankings:
Employer reputation 30% Alumni outcomes 25% Partnerships with Employers per Faculty 25% Employer/Student Connections 10% Graduate employment rate 10%
- Universities:
- 3840
- Published:
- 10 December2024
CWUR Center for World University Rankings
- Universities:
- 10000
- Published:
- 02 June2025
- Criteria used in ranking -CWUR Center for World University Rankings:
Research Performance: 40%
- Research Output: 10%
- High-Quality Publications: 10%
- Influence: 10%
- Citations: 10%
Quality of Education: 25%
Alumni Employment: 25%
Quality of Faculty: 10%
Centre for Science and Technology StudiesLeiden UniversityNetherlands
- Universities:
- 8229
- Published:
- 29 October2025
- Criteria used in ranking -CWTS Leiden Ranking:
Scientific Impact Number of Publications Collaboration Open Access Gender Diversity
Forbes
- Universities:
- 2096
- Published:
- 27 August2024
MONEY
- Universities:
- 100
- Published:
- 16 May2022
- Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Best Public Colleges:
Quality of education 33.33% Affordability 33.33% Outcomes 33.33%
- Universities:
- 1362
- Published:
- 16 May2022
- Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Best Colleges in Americaranked by value:
Quality of education 33.33% Affordability 33.33% Outcomes 33.33%
NICHE
- Universities:
- 300
- Published:
- 20 September2024
- Universities:
- 299
- Published:
- 20 September2024
NTU ranking
- Universities:
- 4217
- Published:
- 01 September2024
- Criteria used in ranking -NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers:
Research Productivity: 25%
- # Articles last 11 years: 10%
- # Articles current year: 15%
Research Impact: 35%
- # Citations last 11 years: 15%
- # Citations last 2 years: 10%
- Average # citations last 11 years: 10%
Research Excellence: 40%
- H-index last 2 years: 10%
- # Highly cited papers last 11 years: 15%
- # Articles current year in high-impact journals: 15%
Nature Index
- Universities:
- 16633
- Published:
- 17 June2025
- Criteria used in ranking -Nature Index: Research Leaders Academic Sector:
Article count (AC) Fractional count (FC) Weighted fractional count (WFC)
Payscale
- Universities:
- 3688
- Published:
- 04 September2024
- Criteria used in ranking -Payscale College Salary Report (Bachelor's Only):
Ranking is based on ROI
- Universities:
- 4158
- Published:
- 04 September2024
RUR Ranking Agency (MoscowRussia)
- Universities:
- 3212
- Published:
- 30 May2024
- Criteria used in ranking -RUR Academic Rankings:
Normalized citation impact (Citations of research publications from all university authors compared with world averages) 20% Citation per papers 20% Papers per academic and research staff 20% International research reputation 20% Share of research publications written in international co-authorship 20%
- Universities:
- 4083
- Published:
- 30 May2024
- Criteria used in ranking -RUR Reputation Ranking:
Teaching Reputation 50% Research Reputation 50%
- Universities:
- 6330
- Published:
- 31 May2025
- Criteria used in ranking -RUR World University Rankings:
Teaching: 40%
- Ratio Faculty/Student: 8%
- Ratio Faculty/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
- Ratio Faculty/Doctoral Degrees Awarded: 8%
- Ratio Doctoral Degrees Awarded/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
- World Teaching Reputation: 8%
Research: 40%
- Citations per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
- Doctoral Degrees per Accepted PhD: 8%
- Normalized Citation Impact: 8%
- Papers per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
- World Research Reputation: 8%
International Diversity: 10%
- International Faculty: 2%
- International Students: 2%
- International Co-Authored Papers: 2%
- Reputation Outside Geographical Region: 2%
- International Level: 2%
Financial Sustainability: 10%
- Institutional Income per Faculty: 2%
- Institutional Income per Student: 2%
- Papers per Research Income: 2%
- Research Income per Academic/Research Staff: 2%
- Research Income per Institutional Income: 2%
Scimago Institutions
- Universities:
- 26733
- Published:
- 03 March2025
- Criteria used in ranking -Scimago Institutions Rankings:
Research 50% Innovation 30%
Societal 20%
ShanghaiRanking Consultancy
- Universities:
- 14016
- Published:
- 15 August2024
- Criteria used in ranking -ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities - ShanghaiRanking:
Quality of Education 10%
- Alumni winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 10%
Quality of Faculty 40%
- Staff winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 20%
- Highly Cited Researchers 20%
Research Output 40%
- Papers published in Nature and Science 20%
- Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded & Social Science Citation Index 20%
Per Capita Performance 10%
StuDocu
- Universities:
- 757
- Published:
- 30 January2023
THE Times Higher EducationUK
- Universities:
- 17805
- Published:
- 06 October2025
- Criteria used in ranking -THE World University Rankings:
30% Teaching (the Learning Environment)
- Reputation survey: 15%
- Staff-to-student ratio: 4.5%
- Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio: 2.25%
- Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio: 6%
- Institutional income: 2.25%
30% Research (VolumeIncome and Reputation)
- Reputation survey: 18%
- Research income: 6%
- Research productivity: 6%
30% Citations (Research Influence)
7.5% International Outlook (StaffStudents and Research)
- Proportion of international students: 2.5%
- Proportion of international staff: 2.5%
- International collaboration: 2.5%
2.5% Industry Income (Knowledge Transfer)"
- Universities:
- 1236
- Published:
- 14 November2024
- Criteria used in ranking -THE Global Employability University Ranking:
Employability (survey) 100%
- Universities:
- 1131
- Published:
- 18 February2025
- Criteria used in ranking -THE World Reputation Rankings:
Research Reputation 66,6% Teaching Reputation 33,3%
- Universities:
- 959
- Published:
- 19 March2025
- Criteria used in ranking -THE World’s Most International Universities:
Proportion of international students 25% Proportion of international staff 25% Proportion of journal publications with one or more international co-authors 25% University’s international reputation 25%
- Universities:
- 548
- Published:
- 17 April2024
- Universities:
- 4744
- Published:
- 27 March2024
- Universities:
- 749
- Published:
- 21 November2024
The Princeton Review
- Universities:
- 100
- Published:
- 20 June2024
Urap
- Universities:
- 12002
- Published:
- 19 December2023
Us News
- Universities:
- 3689
- Published:
- 23 September2024
- Universities:
- 9528
- Published:
- 16 June2025
Wall Street Journal
- Universities:
- 100
- Published:
- 10 September2024
Washington Monthly
- Universities:
- 2102
- Published:
- 25 August2024
- Criteria used in ranking -Washington Monthly - National Universities:
Social Mobility 33.33%
Research 33.33%
Community and National Service 33.33%
Webometrics
- Universities:
- 72001
- Published:
- 12 July2024
- Criteria used in ranking -Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities:
Visibility 50% Excellence 35% Transparency 10% Presence 5%