Washington ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Biggest Colleges in Washington

The 50 largest of the 91 Washington colleges and universities that report an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

56,997
Largest in Washington
91
Institutions reporting
1,864
Median Washington institution
#22
of 51 states by enrolment

University of Washington-Seattle Campus is the largest institution in Washington with 56,997 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, University of Washington-Seattle Campus leads Washington at 56,997 students, and the five largest hold 36% of state enrollment. This list covers the 50 largest of 91 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in Washington
56,997
Institutions reporting
91
State students in top 5
36%
Median Washington institution
1,864

Washington in one line

University of Washington-Seattle Campus is the largest institution in Washington with 56,997 students, about 31x the 1,864 of the median institution in the state. The five largest hold 36% of the state's students, a middling concentration: large institutions matter here without crowding out the rest.

56,997
students at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
36%
of state students, in the top 5
335,184
students enrolled across Washington
1,426
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

These 50 largest institutions enroll 95% of Washington's students; the other 41 reporting institutions hold the remaining 5%. Among the 45 mid-to-large campuses on this list, 21 sit below the 1.58 national median incident rate, and 0 also appear in the national safest-50.

95%
of state students, in these 50
21
below 1.58 national median /1k
0
also in national safest-50
5.51
University of Washington-Seattle Campus rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

Showing the top 50 of 91 Washington institutions by enrollment (318,542 of 335,184 students, 95%). The remaining 41 reporting institutions enroll 5% of the state total and are omitted from this capped ranking, not from the underlying federal tables.

What this ranking shows about Washington

Washington ranks 22nd by total enrolment among the states and DC, roughly mid-table nationally. 42 of the 91 institutions reporting enrolment here are public, an unusually public-heavy sector, so the top of this list is largely a map of the state's public systems.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

The bar to make Washington's top-50 list is 1,426 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 91 Washington institutions reporting enrollment:

The bar to make Washington's top-50 list

Clery-reported enrollment · 91 Washington institutions · 2024

1,426 Top 55% higher than 45% of 91 Washington institutions

Show national distribution 0–6,000: 74 Washington institutions (81%). This entry sits in this band. 6,000–12,000: 13 Washington institutions (14%). Above this entry. 12,000–18,000: 2 Washington institutions (2%). Above this entry. 18,000–24,000: 0 Washington institutions (0%). Above this entry. 24,000–30,000: 1 Washington institutions (1%). Above this entry. 30,000–36,000: 0 Washington institutions (0%). Above this entry. 36,000–42,000: 0 Washington institutions (0%). Above this entry. 42,000–48,000: 0 Washington institutions (0%). Above this entry. 48,000–54,000: 0 Washington institutions (0%). Above this entry. 54,000–60,000: 1 Washington institutions (1%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 60,000 every Washington institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more Washington institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

The 50 largest of Washington's 91 institutions

4
Bellevue College Bellevue, WA · Public
Enrollment
12,485
Incidents /1k
1.28
10
Gonzaga University Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
7,470
Incidents /1k
4.15
11
Clark College Vancouver, WA · Public
Enrollment
7,463
Incidents /1k
0.40
12
Seattle University Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
7,189
Incidents /1k
7.79
15
Edmonds College Lynnwood, WA · Public
Enrollment
6,549
Incidents /1k
0.92
18
Olympic College Bremerton, WA · Public
Enrollment
5,784
Incidents /1k
1.56
19
Highline College Des Moines, WA · Public
Enrollment
5,592
Incidents /1k
2.68
43
Peninsula College Port Angeles, WA · Public
Enrollment
2,153
Incidents /1k
1.39
49
Whitman College Walla Walla, WA · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
1,561
Incidents /1k
5.12
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public 56,997 100% of the leader · rank #1 5.51
2 Washington State University Pullman, WA · Public 25,685 45% of the leader · rank #2 2.41
3 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA · Public 14,710 26% of the leader · rank #3 2.86
4 Bellevue College Bellevue, WA · Public 12,485 22% of the leader · rank #4 1.28
5 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA · Public 10,811 19% of the leader · rank #5 3.33
6 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA · Public 10,492 18% of the leader · rank #6 2.19
7 Pierce College District Lakewood, WA · Public 8,137 14% of the leader · rank #7 0.98
8 Green River College Auburn, WA · Public 7,967 14% of the leader · rank #8 2.38
9 Columbia Basin College Pasco, WA · Public 7,510 13% of the leader · rank #9 1.60
10 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit 7,470 13% of the leader · rank #10 4.15
11 Clark College Vancouver, WA · Public 7,463 13% of the leader · rank #11 0.40
12 Seattle University Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit 7,189 13% of the leader · rank #12 7.79
13 Spokane Community College Spokane, WA · Public 6,813 12% of the leader · rank #13 0.59
14 Everett Community College Everett, WA · Public 6,698 12% of the leader · rank #14 1.94
15 Edmonds College Lynnwood, WA · Public 6,549 11% of the leader · rank #15 0.92
16 Tacoma Community College Tacoma, WA · Public 6,199 11% of the leader · rank #16 1.94
17 University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA · Public 6,058 11% of the leader · rank #17 0.99
18 Olympic College Bremerton, WA · Public 5,784 10% of the leader · rank #18 1.56
19 Highline College Des Moines, WA · Public 5,592 10% of the leader · rank #19 2.68
20 North Seattle College Seattle, WA · Public 5,569 10% of the leader · rank #20 0.72
21 Seattle Central College Seattle, WA · Public 5,396 9% of the leader · rank #21 6.12
22 South Seattle College Seattle, WA · Public 5,210 9% of the leader · rank #22 1.15
23 University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA · Public 4,965 9% of the leader · rank #23 0.81
24 South Puget Sound Community College Olympia, WA · Public 4,871 9% of the leader · rank #24 0.21
25 Shoreline Community College Shoreline, WA · Public 4,477 8% of the leader · rank #25 2.01
26 Spokane Falls Community College Spokane, WA · Public 4,319 8% of the leader · rank #26 13.20
27 Bates Technical College Tacoma, WA · Public 4,083 7% of the leader · rank #27 1.71
28 Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon, WA · Public 4,028 7% of the leader · rank #28 1.74
29 Yakima Valley College Yakima, WA · Public 3,809 7% of the leader · rank #29 1.05
30 Whatcom Community College Bellingham, WA · Public 3,674 6% of the leader · rank #30 4.08
31 Lake Washington Institute of Technology Kirkland, WA · Public 3,564 6% of the leader · rank #31 0.28
32 Clover Park Technical College Lakewood, WA · Public 3,408 6% of the leader · rank #32 0.59
33 Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee, WA · Public 3,067 5% of the leader · rank #33 0.98
34 Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla, WA · Public 2,967 5% of the leader · rank #34 3.03
35 Renton Technical College Renton, WA · Public 2,824 5% of the leader · rank #35 0.71
36 Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA · Private nonprofit 2,797 5% of the leader · rank #36 23.24
37 Lower Columbia College Longview, WA · Public 2,724 5% of the leader · rank #37 0.73
38 The Evergreen State College Olympia, WA · Public 2,490 4% of the leader · rank #38 7.63
39 Cascadia College Bothell, WA · Public 2,380 4% of the leader · rank #39 2.52
40 Whitworth University Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit 2,314 4% of the leader · rank #40 0.00
41 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit 2,261 4% of the leader · rank #41 13.27
42 Centralia College Centralia, WA · Public 2,244 4% of the leader · rank #42 5.79
43 Peninsula College Port Angeles, WA · Public 2,153 4% of the leader · rank #43 1.39
44 Bellingham Technical College Bellingham, WA · Public 2,047 4% of the leader · rank #44 1.47
45 City University of Seattle Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit 2,007 4% of the leader · rank #45 1.00
46 University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA · Private nonprofit 1,864 4% of the leader · rank #46 15.02
47 Big Bend Community College Moses Lake, WA · Public 1,857 4% of the leader · rank #47 1.08
48 Grays Harbor College Aberdeen, WA · Public 1,577 4% of the leader · rank #48 0.00
49 Whitman College Walla Walla, WA · Private nonprofit 1,561 4% of the leader · rank #49 5.12
50 Walla Walla University College Place, WA · Private nonprofit 1,426 4% of the leader · rank #50 6.31

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for Washington, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-10-26.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.