City Rankings

Best Colleges in Washington, District of Columbia

Top colleges in Washington ranked by national standing and graduate outcomes -- updated 2026.

Colleges listed: 11

Avg grad earnings: $66,876

Top Colleges in Washington

Nationally ranked schools appear first. Remaining schools are ordered by median graduate earnings.

#	School	Type	Grad Earnings	Admit Rate	SAT Avg
1	Georgetown University #20 national	Private	$103,494	13.1%	1,494
2	George Washington University #128 national	Private	$90,873	43.5%	1,433
3	American University #206 national	Private	$77,370	47.4%	1,392
4	The Catholic University of America #257 national	Private	$73,250	83.8%	N/A
5	Howard University #367 national	Private	$63,066	34.9%	1,205
6	Gallaudet University #1282 national	Private	$43,101	60.9%	857
7	Trinity Washington University #1492 national	Private	$53,804	99.2%	N/A
8	University of the District of Columbia #2294 national	Public	$44,236	N/A	N/A
9	Arizona State University - Washington D.C.	Public	$62,668	N/A	N/A
10	The Chicago School at Washington DC	Private	$56,899	N/A	N/A

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Excludes for-profit institutions.

Use CollegeBound's compare tool to see admissions, costs, and outcome data side by side.