Which University of Washington major has the lowest debt?

Aerospace Engineering and Anthropology graduates leave with a median of $12,000 in federal loans, the lowest among 69 University of Washington bachelor's programs that report debt.

How much does University of Washington cost?

In-state tuition and fees are $12,973 a year, and $43,209 for out-of-state students. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $14,091 a year.

How many University of Washington programs report graduate pay?

73 bachelor's programs at University of Washington report first-year pay, and 69 of them also report federal debt.

University of Washington Programs, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Public university
Seattle, WA
31,942 undergraduates

College Scorecard June 2026 release

The short answer

73 University of Washington bachelor's programs report what graduates earn. Computer Engineering pays the most in the first year ($141,588), and Theatre the least ($22,778). The median program pays $42,075.

In-state tuition and fees$12,973Per year. Out-of-state $43,209

Average net price after aid$14,091Per year

Graduation rate85%Within 6 years

Admission rate39%Of applicants

All 73 bachelor's programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in Washington" compares first-year pay with the same field's bachelor's programs across Washington. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in Washington
1	Computer EngineeringAbout 40 graduates a year	$141,588	$223,690	$16,127	1st of 3
2	Diagnostic and Treatment ProfessionsGraduates a year not reported	$135,384	$153,557	$31,625	1st of 2
3	Computer ScienceAbout 495 graduates a year	$128,887	$162,117	$16,118	1st of 9
4	NursingAbout 143 graduates a year	$86,212	$99,042	$18,750	5th of 15
5	Electrical EngineeringAbout 227 graduates a year	$81,989	$108,406	$15,000	1st of 7
6	Mechatronics and Robotics EngineeringAbout 29 graduates a year	$81,517	$97,576	Not reported	1st of 1
7	Architectural TechnologyAbout 73 graduates a year	$81,377	$111,996	$18,977	1st of 2
8	Aerospace EngineeringAbout 68 graduates a year	$76,881	$102,468	$12,000	1st of 1
9	Industrial EngineeringAbout 56 graduates a year	$75,473	$109,185	$18,027	1st of 1
10	Computer and Information ScienceAbout 622 graduates a year	$73,385	$121,341	$16,277	2nd of 6
11	Civil EngineeringAbout 118 graduates a year	$73,357	$93,627	$14,874	3rd of 5
12	Materials EngineeringAbout 35 graduates a year	$71,174	$98,760	$20,915	1st of 2
13	Medical Laboratory ScienceAbout 28 graduates a year	$70,225	$81,461	$20,096	1st of 1
14	Chemical EngineeringAbout 69 graduates a year	$67,624	$96,353	$19,875	2nd of 2
15	Mechanical EngineeringAbout 121 graduates a year	$66,947	$94,653	$15,000	6th of 7
16	EntrepreneurshipAbout 37 graduates a year	$65,177	Not reported	Not reported	1st of 1
17	FinanceAbout 304 graduates a year	$63,500	$106,265	$14,208	1st of 5
18	Design and Applied ArtsAbout 36 graduates a year	$63,449	$85,351	$12,250	1st of 7
19	AccountingAbout 116 graduates a year	$62,731	$87,336	$17,083	3rd of 8
20	Management ScienceAbout 183 graduates a year	$62,069	$93,200	Not reported	3rd of 3
21	Social SciencesAbout 73 graduates a year	$57,538	$82,655	$20,559	1st of 3
22	Biomedical EngineeringAbout 77 graduates a year	$57,062	Not reported	$14,000	1st of 2
23	EconomicsAbout 287 graduates a year	$53,934	$92,399	$14,166	2nd of 11
24	MarketingAbout 224 graduates a year	$51,530	$81,356	$15,171	1st of 6
25	ArchitectureAbout 91 graduates a year	$50,809	$62,489	$20,423	1st of 1
26	Health and Medical AdministrationAbout 45 graduates a year	$49,866	$70,818	$15,000	2nd of 3
27	Business AdministrationAbout 33 graduates a year	$49,004	$75,229	$15,000	9th of 18
28	Urban StudiesGraduates a year not reported	$47,585	$66,334	$18,965	1st of 1
29	Software and Media ApplicationsGraduates a year not reported	$47,112	$55,787	$14,500	2nd of 3
30	MathematicsAbout 209 graduates a year	$46,585	$96,036	$15,501	3rd of 5
31	ChemistryAbout 87 graduates a year	$46,369	$68,591	$15,389	2nd of 4
32	Public HealthAbout 297 graduates a year	$46,016	$65,780	$16,490	1st of 2
33	CommunicationsAbout 281 graduates a year	$44,638	$68,260	$16,433	1st of 11
34	EducationAbout 122 graduates a year	$44,201	Not reported	$15,729	1st of 2
35	Area StudiesAbout 153 graduates a year	$43,668	$63,860	$14,922	1st of 3
36	GeographyAbout 86 graduates a year	$42,489	$67,979	$17,504	1st of 3
37	Cell Biology and AnatomyAbout 146 graduates a year	$42,075	$62,122	$14,781	1st of 3
38	PhilosophyAbout 81 graduates a year	$42,072	$51,685	$13,500	1st of 1
39	PhysicsAbout 125 graduates a year	$41,474	$82,775	$17,113	2nd of 2
40	Political ScienceAbout 389 graduates a year	$41,246	$68,104	$14,000	4th of 12
41	Social WorkAbout 53 graduates a year	$40,969	$64,100	$17,396	1st of 3
42	Criminal JusticeGraduates a year not reported	$40,669	$57,289	$15,269	4th of 4
43	SociologyAbout 219 graduates a year	$40,062	$67,391	$19,286	1st of 8
44	Interdisciplinary StudiesGraduates a year not reported	$39,715	$44,430	$15,215	1st of 3
45	Urban and Regional PlanningAbout 37 graduates a year	$39,635	$70,447	$17,736	1st of 1
46	Legal StudiesAbout 105 graduates a year	$39,558	$74,073	$17,383	1st of 1
47	Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyAbout 280 graduates a year	$38,985	$72,792	$14,814	3rd of 3
48	BiologyAbout 198 graduates a year	$38,716	$69,087	$14,223	1st of 12
49	Health SciencesGraduates a year not reported	$36,957	$63,890	$13,332	2nd of 2
50	Environmental Science and ConservationAbout 220 graduates a year	$35,867	$57,124	$17,184	2nd of 6
51	Teacher EducationAbout 121 graduates a year	$35,145	Not reported	$17,342	12th of 14
52	Experimental PsychologyAbout 496 graduates a year	$34,715	Not reported	$15,754	1st of 2
53	MicrobiologyAbout 78 graduates a year	$34,669	$68,273	$15,917	2nd of 2
54	PsychologyGraduates a year not reported	$34,660	$58,994	$17,426	5th of 14
55	Romance LanguagesAbout 35 graduates a year	$34,572	$61,643	$13,559	1st of 7
56	JournalismAbout 35 graduates a year	$33,250	$73,747	$13,654	4th of 4
57	Clinical and Counseling PsychologyGraduates a year not reported	$33,192	$54,108	$14,259	1st of 1
58	Physiology and PathologyAbout 125 graduates a year	$32,970	$69,140	$17,493	2nd of 5
59	AnthropologyAbout 51 graduates a year	$32,778	$61,569	$12,000	1st of 4
60	EnglishAbout 97 graduates a year	$31,622	$57,169	$18,017	4th of 9
61	Human BiologyAbout 163 graduates a year	$31,488	Not reported	$18,125	1st of 1
62	Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender StudiesAbout 66 graduates a year	$31,459	$57,840	$15,056	1st of 2
63	Other Social SciencesGraduates a year not reported	$30,584	$62,975	$19,307	1st of 1
64	Liberal Arts and General StudiesAbout 8 graduates a year	$30,437	$38,699	$16,323	4th of 5
65	Writing and RhetoricAbout 36 graduates a year	$29,758	$42,372	$17,872	2nd of 5
66	Geology and Earth ScienceAbout 89 graduates a year	$29,724	$61,331	$20,500	3rd of 3
67	Film and PhotographyAbout 66 graduates a year	$28,561	Not reported	Not reported	3rd of 5
68	Ecology and EvolutionAbout 93 graduates a year	$27,100	$45,878	$16,672	2nd of 2
69	HistoryAbout 151 graduates a year	$26,261	$54,198	$15,000	5th of 6
70	Fine and Studio ArtsAbout 139 graduates a year	$25,947	$45,831	$13,667	4th of 6
71	Communication Sciences and DisordersAbout 54 graduates a year	$25,791	$70,875	$18,000	2nd of 3
72	NeuroscienceAbout 48 graduates a year	$23,464	$64,696	$17,057	3rd of 3
73	TheatreAbout 23 graduates a year	$22,778	$44,955	$15,638	4th of 5

Program names link to the program's own page, and Washington ranks link to the full ranking for the field. A program gets its own page when it reports both pay and debt and at least five Washington programs in the field do too.

Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.

One more bachelor's program reports debt but not pay, so it isn't listed.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

Computer Engineering$141,588
Diagnostic and Treatment Professions$135,384
Computer Science$128,887
Nursing$86,212
Electrical Engineering$81,989

Lowest median debt

Aerospace Engineering$12,000
Anthropology$12,000
Design and Applied Arts$12,250
Health Sciences$13,332
Philosophy$13,500

Largest programs

Computer and Information ScienceAbout 622 graduates a year
Experimental PsychologyAbout 496 graduates a year
Computer ScienceAbout 495 graduates a year
Political ScienceAbout 389 graduates a year
FinanceAbout 304 graduates a year

Common questions

Computer Engineering graduates earn a median of $141,588 in their first year, the most of 73 University of Washington bachelor's programs that report pay.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Tuition, net price, graduation rate, and admission rate are for the whole school, not one program.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Washington rankings when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
NCES, IPEDS tuition and fees, 2023-24, for in-district tuition labels