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NurseSavvy ranking · Washington · updated October 10, 2026

Best Nursing Schools in Washington (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10

We ranked all 46 RN programs in Washington that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Washington, and what graduates earn a year out.

Olympic College comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.

No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.

Rank it your way

Rank Washington’s 46 RN programs on what matters to you

NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.

The top 10 nursing programs in Washington

Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.

  1. 1

    Olympic College

    BremertonLicensed Practical Nursing Program to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs - Nursing Program· Public

    73score

    A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 17 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    100% of 17
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    $7,172/yr net price
    Early-career earnings
    $88,069 1 yr out
  2. 2

    Bellingham Technical College

    BellinghamAssociate Degree Programs RN· Public

    66score

    A 96% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 75 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    96% of 75
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    $5,997/yr net price
    Early-career earnings
    Not publishedfill-in
  3. 3

    Walla Walla University

    Portland (OR)Baccalaureate Degree Programs RN· Private nonprofit

    65score

    A 94.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 37 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    94.6% of 37
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    $23,329/yr net price
    Early-career earnings
    $90,709 1 yr out
  4. 4

    Washington State University - Spokane Campus

    SpokaneBaccalaureate Degree Programs RN· Public

    63score

    A 92.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 211 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    92.9% of 211
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    Not publishedfill-in
    Early-career earnings
    Not publishedfill-in
  5. 5

    Washington State University - Tri Cities

    RichlandBaccalaureate Degree Programs RN· Public

    63score

    A 92.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 211 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    92.9% of 211
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    Not publishedfill-in
    Early-career earnings
    Not publishedfill-in
  6. 6

    Washington State University - Yakima

    YakimaBaccalaureate Degree Programs RN

    63score

    A 92.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 211 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    92.9% of 211
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    Not publishedfill-in
    Early-career earnings
    Not publishedfill-in
  7. 7

    Gonzaga University

    SpokaneBaccalaureate Degree Programs RN - BSN and ABSN program options· Private nonprofit

    63score

    A 98.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 75 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    98.7% of 75
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    $35,119/yr net price
    Early-career earnings
    $84,466 1 yr out
  8. 8

    Green River Community College

    AuburnLicensed Practical Nursing Program to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs - Full-Time/ Part-Time, Nursing Department

    62score

    A 93.3% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 30 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    93.3% of 30
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    Not publishedfill-in
    Early-career earnings
    Not publishedfill-in
  9. 9

    Skagit Valley College - Mt Vernon/Whidbey Island

    Mt VernonAssociate Degree Programs RN - Nursing Department

    62score

    A 95.3% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 64 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    95.3% of 64
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    Not publishedfill-in
    Early-career earnings
    Not publishedfill-in
  10. 10

    Big Bend Community College

    Moses LakeAssociate Degree Programs RN - Full Time Program, Rural Nursing Education Program (RNEP)· Public

    61score

    A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 17 test-takers carries its score.

    NCLEX strength
    100% of 17
    Students who finish
    Not publishedfill-in
    Cost-to-pay value
    $12,210/yr net price
    Early-career earnings
    $79,826 1 yr out

Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.

All 84 approved programs in Washington Full rankings table

The Washington leaders on each measure

Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.

No Washington RN program in our data has published its own completion rate yet, so every program here scores the completion fill-in.

How we ranked Washington’s nursing schools

  • NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Washington board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
  • Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
  • Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Washington’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
  • Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.

A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →

Frequently asked questions

What is the best nursing school in Washington?

Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Olympic College (Licensed Practical Nursing Program to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs - Nursing Program, Bremerton) ranks #1 of 46 RN programs in Washington with a score of 73 out of 100 and a 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.

How did NurseSavvy rank Washington nursing schools?

Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Washington board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

What does “fill-in” mean on this list?

When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.

Can a school pay to rank higher?

No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.

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