Accredited online colleges in Washington offer high-quality education that meets the standards of regional and national accreditation agencies. Virtual schools in Washington also have very affordable tuition rates and are extremely flexible, allowing students to access education no matter what their schedules are like or what obligations they may have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we will go through some of the top online colleges in Washington and the five best programs at each institution. You\u2019ll learn about accreditation, tuition fees, and graduation rates to make an informed decision on attending an online school in Washington. Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online colleges in Washington offer convenient access to education, however, not all online colleges in Washington are accredited. Accreditation is important because it ensures that educational standards will be met by the institution and degrees will be recognized by potential employers. There are two types of accreditation, regional accreditation, and national accreditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regionally accredited online colleges are institutions that have passed the standard educational requirements of designated regional accreditation agencies. Regional accreditation is considered the most prestigious and widely recognized type of accreditation. It has more rigorous standards for quality of education than national accreditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
National accreditation involves national agencies which typically review institutions of similar types such as career, technical, trade, and vocational institutions. These institutions usually have more specific focuses. Because of this, accreditation requirements are less rigorous for national accreditation than for regional accreditation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accreditation is important for college because it determines if an institution meets the minimum educational quality standards to offer training to students. Because of accreditation, students and parents are able to make informed decisions when selecting the best colleges and programs. In addition, accreditation enables institutions to make choices about transfer credits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can find out whether an online college in Washington is accredited first by checking for accreditation information on the institution\u2019s website. If a college claims to be accredited by a certain agency, visit the agency\u2019s website. This is an easy way to confirm accreditation, as all accredited institutions should be listed in a database on the agency\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US Department of Education Database is another great reference point for college accreditation information. To check the accreditation agencies of an institution, visit the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs<\/a> home page, input the name of the institution, and click Search. Select the college of choice and a list of all accrediting colleges will be displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Online schools in Washington are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). This is a non-profit membership organization recognized by the US Department of Education as an accreditor of tertiary institutions. It accredits institutions across the western US including Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some colleges will have a whole website page dedicated to listing all the accrediting institutions. Others provide accreditation information on every program description page to provide more transparency. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, consider using the website\u2019s search button to find the information you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSearch for Colleges on the Regional Accrediting Agencies Website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Visit the School\u2019s Official Website <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Top 10 Accredited Online Colleges in Washington: Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
| Ranking<\/th>\n | Online College<\/th>\n | Accreditation<\/th>\n | Graduation Rate<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1<\/td>\n | Gonzaga University<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 86%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 2<\/td>\n | University of Washington<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 84%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 3<\/td>\n | Whitworth University <\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 76%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 4<\/td>\n | Western Washington University<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 73%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 5<\/td>\n | Pacific Lutheran University<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 69%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 6<\/td>\n | Washington State University<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 65%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 7<\/td>\n | Central Washington University<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 62%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 8<\/td>\n | Northwest University<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 61%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 9<\/td>\n | Eastern Washington University<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 59%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n |
| 10<\/td>\n | City University of Seattle<\/td>\n | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional)<\/td>\n | 38%<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n How We Ranked the Best Accredited Online Colleges in Washington<\/h2>\n\n\n\nWe ranked the best accredited online colleges in Washington by looking at the graduation rates of various institutions that offer fully online degree programs. The information in the table above comes from the schools\u2019 official websites, the US Department of Education\u2019s database of accredited schools, and the US Department of Education\u2019s College Scorecard tool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Best Accredited Online Colleges in Washington: Deep Dive<\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn the next section we describe each of the previously listed accredited online colleges in Washington. To help make the selection process as easy as possible, we\u2019ll give a brief overview of the relevant statistics. We\u2019ll also go through five of the best online college degrees offered by each school.<\/p>\n\n\n \r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n |