2023 Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in Washington
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting School for You
With 718 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting is the #20 most popular major in Washington.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in Washington ranking. This report analyzed 7 schools in Washington to see which ones offered the best value programs for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Best Washington Schools for Affordable Quality in Law Enforcement & Firefighting
Our 2023 rankings named Spokane Community College the best value school in Washington for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Spokane Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Spokane Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,826 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at Spokane Community College take out an average of $18,014 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Central Washington University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting schools in Washington. CWU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Ellensburg.
CWU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,685 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from CWU carry an average student debtload of $19,838. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $216.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Washington - Tacoma Campus is a great value for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. Located in the city of Tacoma, UW Tacoma is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
UW Tacoma undergraduate students pay an average of $12,196 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from UW Tacoma take out $12,145 in student loans while working on their degree.
UW Tacoma also made our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in Washington list, coming in at #1.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Washington State University is a great value for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. Located in the town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Wazzu are $12,417 a year. On average, homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting graduates from Wazzu take out $22,182 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $441, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Wazzu also is in the top 20% of our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in Washington ranking.
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The excellent programs at Seattle University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting schools in Washington. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Seattle.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Seattle U are $49,335 per year. The average amount in student loans that homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting majors at Seattle U take out is $22,500.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Seattle U also did well on our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in Washington list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Heritage University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting programs. Heritage University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Toppenish.
Heritage University undergraduate students pay an average of $18,500 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at Heritage University take out an average of $18,690 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #7, Saint Martin’s University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting students. Saint Martin's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lacey.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Martin’s are $40,690 per year. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting majors at Saint Martin's take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Saint Martin’s also took the #5 spot in our Best Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in Washington rankings.
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Request InformationBest Value Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 14,822 |
| Oregon | 602 |
| Hawaii | 270 |
| Nevada | 764 |
| Alaska | 140 |
More Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Rankings in Washington
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Related Majors for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 113,121 |
| Fire Protection | 13,766 |
| Homeland Security | 7,140 |
| Security Science and Technology | 6,888 |
| Other Homeland Security | 1,695 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Administration & Social Service | 98,583 |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 73,813 |
| Legal Professions | 61,055 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 4,477 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 7 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Barry Bahler.
More about our data sources and methodologies.