2023 Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington ranking. This report analyzed 26 schools in Washington to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for 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.
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Top Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Bellevue College the best value school in Washington for students working on their basic certificate. Bellevue College is a fairly large public school located in Bellevue, Washington that handed out 156 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at BC are $9,594 a year.
BC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 98% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, BC is ranked #2 for overall quality in Washington.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Olympic College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington list. This small public school is located in Bremerton, Washington, and it awarded 858 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OC are $9,638 per year.
Online courses are available at OC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 83% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
OC also took the #5 spot in our Best Basic Certificate Schools in Washington rankings.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Seattle College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington list. North Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 416 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at North Seattle are $4,799 a year.
North Seattle does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 71% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
North Seattle also took the #1 spot in our Best Basic Certificate Schools in Washington rankings.
Out of the 26 schools in Washington that were part of this year’s value ranking, Spokane Falls Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Spokane, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 73 students in 2020-2021.
Spokane Falls Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,135 in tuition and fees each year.
Spokane Falls Community College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 89% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
The excellent basic certificate programs at Seattle Central College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value schools in Washington. Located in Seattle, Washington, the small public school awarded 68 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Seattle Central are $4,670 a year.
Online courses are available at Seattle Central, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 69% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Centralia College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington list. Centralia College is located in Centralia, Washington and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 125 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Centralia College are $5,239 a year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Centralia College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 66% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Centralia College also did well on our Best Basic Certificate Schools in Washington list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
With a ranking of #7, Spokane Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their basic certificate. Located in Spokane, Washington, the medium-sized public school awarded 540 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Spokane Community College are $5,135 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Spokane Community College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 65% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Bellingham Technical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate programs. Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute is a small public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 378 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute are $5,227 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 72% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Skagit Valley College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington list. Located in Mount Vernon, Washington, the small public school handed out 386 basic certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Skagit Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,507 in tuition and fees each year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Skagit Valley College. In fact, around 75% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #10, Lake Washington Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their basic certificate. Lake Washington Institute of Technology is a small public school located in Kirkland, Washington that handed out 448 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
LWTech undergraduate students pay an average of $10,146 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since LWTech does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 75% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Everett Community College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate programs. Located in Everett, Washington, the medium-sized public school handed out 475 basic certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Everett Community College are $9,597 per year.
Everett Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 93% took at least some of their classes online.
Tacoma Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate programs. Tacoma, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 445 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tacoma Community College are $10,391 per year.
Online courses are available at Tacoma Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 85% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Whatcom Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #13 on the list. Whatcom Community College is a small public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 410 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Whatcom Community College are $10,473 per year.
Online courses are available at Whatcom Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 99% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Big Bend Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington list. This small public school is located in Moses Lake, Washington, and it awarded 278 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Big Bend Community College are $5,098 per year.
Online courses are available at Big Bend Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 85% took at least some of their classes online.
Clark College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington ranking. Clark College is a medium-sized public school situated in Vancouver, Washington. It awarded 87 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clark College are $10,133 per year.
Online courses are available at Clark College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 97% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #16, Walla Walla Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their basic certificate. This small public school is located in Walla Walla, Washington, and it awarded 123 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Walla Walla Community College are $6,350 a year.
Online courses are available at Walla Walla Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 53% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Clover Park Technical College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington ranking. CPTC is a public institution located in Lakewood, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 898 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
CPTC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,740 in tuition and fees each year.
CPTC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 35% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Western Washington University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington ranking. Located in Bellingham, Washington, the fairly large public school handed out 48 basic certificate awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at WWU are $25,930 a year.
Online courses are available at WWU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 6% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
WWU not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Basic Certificate Schools in Washington list.
Lower Columbia College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington ranking. Longview, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 17 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LCC are $5,403 per year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at LCC. In fact, around 95% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Yakima Valley College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington ranking. YVC is a small public school situated in Yakima, Washington. It awarded 195 basic certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at YVC are $5,352 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since YVC does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 99% took at least some of their classes online.
Grays Harbor College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in Washington ranking. Aberdeen, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 81 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at GHC are $10,040 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at GHC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 82% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #22, Columbia Basin College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their basic certificate. CBC is located in Pasco, Washington and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 139 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CBC are $7,735 per year.
One thing to take note of is that CBC does offer online classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 89% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #23, Renton Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their basic certificate. Renton Technical College is located in Renton, Washington and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 193 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Renton Technical College are $6,131 a year.
Online courses are available at Renton Technical College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 49% took at least some of their classes online.
Eastern Washington University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate programs. Cheney, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 89 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at EWU are $25,748 a year.
EWU does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 93% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Peninsula College landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate programs. Located in Port Angeles, Washington, the small public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.
Peninsula College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,779 in tuition and fees each year.
Online courses are available at Peninsula College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 72% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Best Value Basic Certificate Schools in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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