Reading about top business schools in pacific northwest for the first time may seem overwhelming to individuals who have no personal experience or don’t study the subject, but they might find it fascinating.  Learn more about best business schools in california, washington state university business school, mba programs pacific northwest, and washington mba ranking. You will also find more resources on collegelearners related to pacific northwest colleges.

The top business schools in the Pacific Northwest are located at institutions that have well-known reputations. Most are well established, have strong faculty, deep alumni networks, and outstanding resources for students. Whether you want to be in the big city or small town, there is a viable business school waiting to take you where you want to go/

The Pacific Northwest is known for its beautiful landscape, but did you know it’s also home to some of the best business schools in the country? We’ve compiled a list of the top 5 business schools in the Pacific Northwest, so you can start your search for your dream school with confidence.

1. The University of Washington

The University of Washington is the oldest public university in the state and one of the largest employers in Seattle. They offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in business. The University also has an impressive alumni network that includes many notable names.

2. Oregon State University

Oregon State University has been ranked as one of the top 10 public universities in America by U.S News & World Report for four years running now! Students can major in Business Administration with concentrations in Entrepreneurship, Finance or Management Information Systems (MIS). They also offer a variety of minors to choose from like Accounting or International Business. If you want to get even more hands-on experience with business than academics might provide then OSU also has an entrepreneurship program where students can participate in competitions such as New Venture Challenge or Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI).

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10. San Francisco Conservatory of Music

• Location: San Francisco, CA
• Student Enrollment: 401
• College Type: Private

Founded in 1917 initially as the Ada Clement Piano School, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music now offers a broader music education. There are seven total majors: Stringed Instruments, Voice and Opera, Brass Instruments, Keyboard Instruments, Woodwind Instruments, Music Theory and Composition, and Percussion Instruments.

9. University of Portland

• Location: Portland, OR
• Student Enrollment: 4,383
• College Type: Private

Located on a bluff overlooking the Willamette River, the University of Portland is affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. 87% of all students on campus are undergraduates, while the remaining 13% study at the graduate level. The University of Portal has a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

8. Gonzaga University

• Location: Spokane, WA
• Student Enrollment: 7,567
• College Type: Private

Spike the Bulldog is the mascot of this university, where the sports teams are also known as the Bulldogs. They participate in NCAA Division I (without football), and have 364 athletes on campus. 25–30 are the average ACT scores of incoming freshmen; for the SAT the average is between 1220 and 1380.

7. Reed College

• Location: Portland, OR
• Student Enrollment: 1,427
• College Type: Private

Reed College features a griffin on its seal, which doubles as the school’s mascot. Their official school color is Reed Red (formerly Reed Rose). The campus is located just off the Willamette River. English is the most popular major at this college. They have an 82% six year graduation rate.

6. Whitman College

• Location: Walla Walla, WA
• Student Enrollment: 1,493
• College Type: Private

“Per ardua surgo”is the motto of this college, translating to mean “Through adversities I rise.” Whitman accepts just over half of all the applications they receive. On average, incoming freshmen score between 26 and 31 on the ACT, or between 1240 and 1430 on the SAT. Whitman has a cozy 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

5. University of California – Davis

• Location: Davis, CA
• Student Enrollment: 36,460
• College Type: Public

Third largest (in terms of student enrollment) in the University of California system, UC Davis sees nearly 71,000 applications annually. The most popular majors on campus include Research and Experimental Psychology, Business, Economics, and Neurobiology / Anatomy. Their school colors are Aggie blue and gold, and they play as the Aggies.

4. University of Washington – Seattle Campus

• Location: Seattle, WA
• Student Enrollment: 45,591
• College Type: Public

In addition to Washington being a flagship university, it’s also a space grant and a sea grant school. Of the total students enrolled, 68% of them are undergraduates. Located on Portage and Union Bay, this school has an acceptance rate of 46% and a near even split between undergraduate men and women on campus—47.6% and 52.4% respectively.

3. Santa Clara University

• Location: Santa Clara, CA
• Student Enrollment: 8,422
• College Type: Private

Santa Clara University was founded in 1851, making the oldest operating institute of higher learning in the state of California. Receiving around 15,000 applications a year, Santa Clara will accept just over 8,000 of them. They have an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio and a first year retention rate of 96%.

2. University of California – Berkeley

• Location: Berkeley, CA
• Student Enrollment: 40,154
• College Type: Public

UC Berkeley sports two unique colors: Berkeley Blue and California Gold. Students and mascot Oski cheer on the Golden Bears during athletic events. Economics, Computer Science, Cell / Molecular Biology, Electrical Engineering, and Business Administration are the five most popular majors on campus.

1. Stanford University

• Location: Stanford, CA
• Student Enrollment: 17,184
• College Type: Private

Given its proximity to Silicon Valley, it comes as no surprise that the most popular major on Stanford’s campus is Computer Science, followed by Human Biology and Engineering. During its foundation, Stanford was actually modeled off of Cornell and Harvard among other influential universities. Cardinal and white are the official school colors.

Top 25 Best Colleges in the Northwest | 2019 Rankings

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on October 27, 2021

The states of the Pacific Northwest provide diverse landscapes, cities, industries, and of course colleges.

Including the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, and Northern California, this region has a school for everyone.

Here are College Raptor’s top 25 best colleges in the Northwest!

25. Seattle Pacific University

• Flickr user Curtis CronnLocation: Seattle, WA
• Student Enrollment: 4,061
• College Type: Private

A member of the Christian College Consortium, the Seattle Pacific University is a liberal arts school with just over 3,000 students. The most popular majors include business, nursing, psychology, speech communication, and English. The university focuses on showing how Christian faith can influence the school, students, and community.Advertisements

24. University of the Pacific

• Flickr user Wayne HsiehLocation: Stockton, CA
• Student Enrollment: 6,128
• College Type: Private

This private university holds many “first honors.” The University of the Pacific was the first medical school and first conservatory of music on the West Coast as well as the first independent co-educational college in California. They also hold the title of being the oldest chartered university in the state. A member of the NCAA, they have just over 300 athletes with focus on Basketball, Baseball, and Track.

23. Dominican University of California

• Wikimedia Commons user Sara.hueyLocation: San Rafael, CA
• Student Enrollment: 1,835
• College Type: Private

One of the oldest universities in the state, the Dominican University of California is a small private school with under 2,000 students attending. With a 9 to 1 student to faculty ratio and an 86% first year retention rate, the university also ranks well for four year graduation rates in the Pacific West Conference.

22. Mills College

• Flickr user Curtis CronnLocation: Oakland, CA
• Student Enrollment: 1,345
• College Type: Private

Mills College is an all women’s undergraduate college, but allows men and women to participate in graduate programs. It was the first single-sex college to accept transgender students. Recently, the college offered a “tuition reset” where the cost to attend was reduced by about 36%. With 961 applications received, they have a high acceptance rate of 87%.

21. Western Washington University

• Flickr user Joe WolfLocation: Bellingham, WA
• Student Enrollment: 15,574
• College Type: Public

With athletic teams called the Vikings and colors of bay blue, Western blue, and white, the Western Washington University is one of only six public universities in the entire state. The most commonly chosen majors tend to be psychology, computer sciences, sociology, and environmental science.

20. University of Washington – Bothell Campus

• Flickr user J BrewLocation: Bothell, WA
• Student Enrollment: 5,734
• College Type: Public

One of the three campuses for the University of Washington, the Bothell Campus is fairly new: It was established in 1990 and actually shares a campus with Cascadia College. The largest campus out of the three, Bothell sees over 3,000 applications each year and out of the 80% accepted, just over 30% go on to attend.

19. Pacific University

• Flickr user Tim LauerLocation: Forest Grove, OR
• Student Enrollment: 3,909
• College Type: Private

At Pacific University, the student experience is about more than academics. They receives about 2,590 applications and around 84% acceptance rate in every admission. Business Administration and Management in General happened to be their top major with a total number of 50 students. 

18. Whitworth University

• Image provided by Whitworth UniversityLocation: Spokane, WA
• Student Enrollment: 2,634
• College Type: Private

The average ACT score of Whitworth applicants is between 22 and 28, and its SAT score ranges from 1,110 and 1,330. About 89% of the applicants were accepted. Biological and Physical Sciences, Elementary Education, Psychology, Biology, and Computer Science are the most popular majors on campus.

17. Saint Mary’s College of California

• Flickr user Franco FoliniLocation: Moraga, CA
• Student Enrollment: 3,908
• College Type: Private

Saint Mary’s College is grounded in the liberal arts and the life and work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Last year, the average percentage of acceptance was 82% out of almost 4,700 applications. Red and blue are the school colors, and students compete athletically as the Gaels.

16. University of San Francisco

• Flickr user Michael FraleyLocation: San Francisco, CA
• Student Enrollment: 11,003
• College Type: Private

USF’s main campus, nicknamed “the Hilltop”, is located near the famed Golden Gate Bridge. Their school colors are green and gold, and the sports teams are known as the Dons. They received over 16,000 applications last year. A majority of students at USF are from California—71%, in fact.

15. University of Puget Sound

• Flickr user mSeattleLocation: Tacoma, WA
• Student Enrollment: 2,791
• College Type: Private

Every year, nearly 6,000 applications are sent in to the University of Puget Sound, and around 5,000 are accepted. There is an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio and a first year retention rate of 86%. While 18.70% of the students come from Washington, 33.1% come from the state of California.

14. University of Oregon

• Flickr user Wolfram BurnerLocation: Eugene, OR
• Student Enrollment: 23,546
• College Type: Public

The University of Oregon’s school motto—”Mens agitat molem”—translates into “The Mind Moves Mountains.” OU has a number of famous alumni, including TV anchor Ann Curry, Nike founder Phil Knight, Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, and singer Peter Hollens. OU plays as part of the Pac-12 conference.

13. Willamette University

• Flickr user Max RaeLocation: Salem, WA
• Student Enrollment: 2,556
• College Type: Private

The Willamette Bearcats sport cardinal and old gold for their school colors, and are cheered on by their mascot Blitz. Willamette participates in 20 varsity sports, including baseball, basketball, and lacrosse among others. Biology is the most popular major on campus, followed by Economics and Political Science.

12. Lewis & Clark College

• Flickr user Curtis CronnLocation: Portland, OR
• Student Enrollment: 3,419
• College Type: Private

Named after the famed explorers, this college has a Latin motto fitting of its namesake—”Explorare, Discere, Sociare” meaning “To explore, to learn, to work together.” It’s been a coeducational college since its foundation, though nowadays there are more women studying at the school, as 61.4% of the undergraduate class are women.

11. Seattle University

• Flickr user javacolleenLocation: Seattle, WA
• Student Enrollment: 7,487
• College Type: Private

Rudy the Redhawk is the mascot of Seattle U, where the school colors are red and white. The acceptance rate is 74%, meaning that nearly 6,350 applications were accepted last year of the total 8,576. Among the alumni of this university is Jim Whittaker (class of 1952), the first American to summit Mt. Everest.

10. San Francisco Conservatory of Music

• Wikimedia Commons user Carlin MaLocation: San Francisco, CA
• Student Enrollment: 401
• College Type: Private

Founded in 1917 initially as the Ada Clement Piano School, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music now offers a broader music education. There are seven total majors: Stringed Instruments, Voice and Opera, Brass Instruments, Keyboard Instruments, Woodwind Instruments, Music Theory and Composition, and Percussion Instruments.

9. University of Portland

• Flickr user Thomas Le NgoLocation: Portland, OR
• Student Enrollment: 4,383
• College Type: Private

Located on a bluff overlooking the Willamette River, the University of Portland is affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. 87% of all students on campus are undergraduates, while the remaining 13% study at the graduate level. The University of Portal has a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

8. Gonzaga University

• Flickr user Michael LiLocation: Spokane, WA
• Student Enrollment: 7,567
• College Type: Private

Spike the Bulldog is the mascot of this university, where the sports teams are also known as the Bulldogs. They participate in NCAA Division I (without football), and have 364 athletes on campus. 25–30 are the average ACT scores of incoming freshmen; for the SAT the average is between 1220 and 1380.

7. Reed College

• Flickr user Dale CruseLocation: Portland, OR
• Student Enrollment: 1,427
• College Type: Private

Reed College features a griffin on its seal, which doubles as the school’s mascot. Their official school color is Reed Red (formerly Reed Rose). The campus is located just off the Willamette River. English is the most popular major at this college. They have an 82% six year graduation rate.

6. Whitman College

• Flickr user Chuck TaylorLocation: Walla Walla, WA
• Student Enrollment: 1,493
• College Type: Private

“Per ardua surgo”is the motto of this college, translating to mean “Through adversities I rise.” Whitman accepts just over half of all the applications they receive. On average, incoming freshmen score between 26 and 31 on the ACT, or between 1240 and 1430 on the SAT. Whitman has a cozy 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

5. University of California – Davis

• Flickr user PrayitnoLocation: Davis, CA
• Student Enrollment: 36,460
• College Type: Public

Third largest (in terms of student enrollment) in the University of California system, UC Davis sees nearly 71,000 applications annually. The most popular majors on campus include Research and Experimental Psychology, Business, Economics, and Neurobiology / Anatomy. Their school colors are Aggie blue and gold, and they play as the Aggies.

4. University of Washington – Seattle Campus

• Flickr user Curtis CronnLocation: Seattle, WA
• Student Enrollment: 45,591
• College Type: Public

In addition to Washington being a flagship university, it’s also a space grant and a sea grant school. Of the total students enrolled, 68% of them are undergraduates. Located on Portage and Union Bay, this school has an acceptance rate of 46% and a near even split between undergraduate men and women on campus—47.6% and 52.4% respectively.

3. Santa Clara University

• Flickr user Ed BiermanLocation: Santa Clara, CA
• Student Enrollment: 8,422
• College Type: Private

Santa Clara University was founded in 1851, making the oldest operating institute of higher learning in the state of California. Receiving around 15,000 applications a year, Santa Clara will accept just over 8,000 of them. They have an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio and a first year retention rate of 96%.

2. University of California – Berkeley

• Flickr user K. OliverLocation: Berkeley, CA
• Student Enrollment: 40,154
• College Type: Public

UC Berkeley sports two unique colors: Berkeley Blue and California Gold. Students and mascot Oski cheer on the Golden Bears during athletic events. Economics, Computer Science, Cell / Molecular Biology, Electrical Engineering, and Business Administration are the five most popular majors on campus.

1. Stanford University

• Flickr user Michael EstigoyLocation: Stanford, CA
• Student Enrollment: 17,184
• College Type: Private

Given its proximity to Silicon Valley, it comes as no surprise that the most popular major on Stanford’s campus is Computer Science, followed by Human Biology and Engineering. During its foundation, Stanford was actually modeled off of Cornell and Harvard among other influential universities. Cardinal and white are the official school colors.

About our methodology

Colleges are ranked based on a combination of factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, and other data as reported via the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the most recently-available enrollment year. Some colleges may have been excluded from rankings based on certain criteria, including specialization and classification. Learn about our full methodology.

pacific northwest colleges

Are you looking for a business school in the Pacific Northwest? Here are some of the top options.

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU) is located in Pullman, Washington, and offers over 140 majors. WSU has been ranked among the top 100 universities by U.S. News & World Report for several years running. Students can choose from more than 100 clubs and organizations, as well as study abroad opportunities in locations such as Barcelona, Spain; London; and Gothenburg, Sweden. The school also offers free tutoring services to all students who need help with any subject matter.

The University of Washington The University of Washington (UW) is a public research university located in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1861 and has an enrollment of more than 44,000 students across five campuses; these include Bothell, Tacoma and Vancouver in Washington state along with campuses in Bothell, Tacoma and Vancouver in Washington state along with campuses in Bothell and Tacoma in Oregon (through partnerships with Oregon Health & Science University). UW has been ranked among the top 15 public universities by U.S. News & World Report for multiple years running; it’s also considered one of America’s premier research institutions with over $1 billion per year spent.