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Best Colleges in the West

The West is known for excellence in higher education: its public universities are among the most prestigious in the country, and some of its private colleges rival the Ivy Leagues. The region’s proximity to major employers – notably in Silicon Valley, means it is teaming with opportunity.

Some parts of the West – like California – have many large urban centers, while other areas are more sparsely populated. To help give students from smaller states more equitable educational opportunities, the Western Undergraduate Exchange has set up tuition reciprocity agreements, which reduce tuition fees for students in the region who want to study out of state.

Don’t overpay for college: your educational investment should pay off down the road. To help you make smarter decisions about where to go to college, we have ranked the best universities in the west by economic value. Find out more about how we did this on our methodology page.

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#1 in Western colleges

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Economic score 0.39

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $10,851

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $124,080

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 97%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#2 in Western colleges
Economic score 0.43

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $16,550

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $128,566

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 92%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#3 in Western colleges
Economic score 0.71

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $5,441

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $76,489

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 56%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#4 in Western colleges

Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, California

Economic score 0.97

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $19,489

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $104,736

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 92%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#5 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.01

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $17,371

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $92,446

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 94%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#6 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.06

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $4,058

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $57,162

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 70%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#7 in Western colleges

Harvey Mudd College

Claremont, California

Economic score 1.08

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $39,671

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $138,687

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 93%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#8 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.15

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $5,752

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $63,188

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 71%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#9 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.22

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $12,426

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $80,735

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 86%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#10 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.29

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $15,637

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $82,511

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 93%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#11 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.34

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $15,069

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $84,943

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 89%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#12 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.35

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $11,159

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $71,401

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 70%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#13 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.36

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $5,385

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $59,211

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 71%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#14 in Western colleges

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington

Economic score 1.38

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $13,404

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $78,466

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 83%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#15 in Western colleges

Pomona College

Claremont, California

Economic score 1.41

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $18,084

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $77,779

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 94%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#16 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.42

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $19,615

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $94,784

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 67%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#17 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.43

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $7,485

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $62,951

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 80%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#18 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.43

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $18,766

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $90,768

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 85%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#19 in Western colleges

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

Economic score 1.45

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $14,370

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $78,988

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 76%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

#20 in Western colleges
Economic score 1.50

Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.

Cost $15,674

The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.

Earnings $80,838

Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.

Graduation rate 88%

Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not  displayed.

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