More selective than 76% of Washington colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $72,124. College Scorecard.
Higher than 94% of Washington colleges we cover and 86% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 92% of Washington colleges we cover and 90% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Seattle University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,976 applicants, Seattle University admitted 6,826 and 1,049 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1200–1430 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Seattle University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Seattle University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Seattle University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Washington. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $22,896 | $94,332 | 2.7 years |
| $30–48k | $24,523 | $101,035 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $26,977 | $111,145 | 3.2 years |
| $75–110k | $36,967 | $152,304 | 4.3 years |
| $110k+ | $42,737 | $176,076 | 5.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (66% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($75,272) minus $40,219 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in WA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $35,053 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Seattle University majors, earnings & careers
Seattle University offers 64 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 12
- Science & Math · 11
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Business & Finance · 9
- Arts & Design · 7
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Engineering · 4
- Education · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Seattle University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $128,314 | $24,980 |
| Electrical Engineering | $111,410 | $25,000 |
| Business Economics | $102,249 | — |
| Finance | $99,791 | $24,000 |
| Accounting | $97,466 | $23,734 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $96,218 | $20,467 |
| Nursing | $90,918 | $25,000 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | $88,308 | — |
Quick list of all 64 majors
- Accounting$97,466
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$81,464
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$58,242
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$61,021
- Business—
- Business Administration$72,360
- Business Economics$102,249
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$81,559
- Communications$57,599
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science$128,314
- Criminal Justice$74,018
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering$111,410
- English$78,906
- Environmental Science / Conservation$63,465
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$62,385
- Finance$99,791
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$53,117
- Health Administration—
- History—
- International / Global Studies$56,590
- International Business$69,201
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$64,098
- Linguistics—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$72,518
- Mathematics$80,592
- Mechanical Engineering$96,218
- Medical Laboratory Science$88,308
- Music—
- Nursing$90,918
- Philosophy—
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Political Science$63,443
- Psychology$57,993
- Public Administration—
- Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security$56,265
- Social Work$57,349
- Sociology—
- Sociology and Anthropology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$57,093
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
- Writing$60,291
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Finance → Financial analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Seattle
Overall prices in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,549. Housing costs 51% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 38 inches of rain a year, 4 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (very high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, King County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
King County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Seattle University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Washington by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle University | 77% | $34,662 | 76% | $75,272 | This school |
| Pacific Lutheran University | 78% | $19,589 | 69% | $66,990 | |
| Gonzaga University | 82% | $35,119 | 86% | $78,892 | |
| University of Puget Sound | 72% | $38,394 | 68% | $69,594 | |
| Whitworth University | 90% | $26,534 | 71% | $58,561 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Seattle University would cost you $15,073 more per year than Pacific Lutheran University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Seattle University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$4,467).
- Pacific Lutheran University gives aided families $5,408 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Washington resident | Seattle University | PLU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $56,721 | $52,254 | +$4,467 |
| Books & supplies | $762 | $762 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $14,748 | $12,446 | +$2,302 |
| Personal & travel | $3,818 | $2,665 | +$1,153 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,925 | −$5,668 | +$1,743 |
| Sticker price | $72,124 | $62,459 | +$9,665 |
| Average grants | −$37,462 | −$42,870 | +$5,408 |
| You pay | $34,662 | $19,589 | +$15,073 |
“+” means Seattle University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Seattle University
What is the Seattle University acceptance rate?
Seattle University accepts 77% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 6,826 of 8,976 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1200–1430 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
How much does Seattle University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $72,124 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $34,662 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $22,896 and families earning $110k+ pay $42,737.
How much do Seattle University graduates earn?
Former Seattle University students earn a median $75,272 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Seattle University graduation rate?
76% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 84% return for their second year.
How long does a Seattle University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Seattle University costs about $111,145 after grants ($26,977 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $75,272 ten years after starting, $35,053 more than high school graduates in Washington ($40,219), so the cost is repaid in 3.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Seattle University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/seattle-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).