Best Online Communications Programs in Olympia, WA (2026)

Updated July 30, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Olympia, Washington has 5 accredited schools offering communications programs, with tuition ranging from $9,264 to $31,905 per year for indexed programs. Olympia has a population of about 55,583. Median household income is $76,930 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA metro area, the top-earning communications-related role is Public Relations Manager at a median $148,090 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Communications Schools to Olympia

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer communications programs near Olympia, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Olympia city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Olympia. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Acceptance rate 96%

Graduation rate 43%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,320

Avg net price $24,319/yr

Tuition

In‑state$9,264

Out‑of‑state$31,905

Contact

2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW Olympia, WA 98505-0001
(360) 867-6170
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 69%
Programs offered: 8

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDS College Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Washington schools on the Washington communications page.

Communications Wages Near Olympia

Olympia is part of the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA metro area (BLS area code 36500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist	$84,470	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$81,456
Public Relations Manager	$148,090	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$142,806
News Analyst, Reporter and Journalist	$54,760	WA statewide	$52,806
Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist	$79,910	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$77,059

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Olympia at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	55,583	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$76,930	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	50.0%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	103.7 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Olympia-Area Cities With Communications Programs

Tumwater, WA – 3.6 mi away (22,538 pop)
Lacey, WA – 4.8 mi away (47,688 pop)
Lakewood, WA – 19.1 mi away (60,665 pop)
University Place, WA – 20.3 mi away (33,288 pop)
Centralia, WA – 22.3 mi away (41,077 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited communications schools are near Olympia, WA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering communications programs near Olympia. The closest is Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, WA (3.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Washington-Tacoma Campus (25.6 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying communications roles near Olympia?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying communications-related roles near Olympia are: Public Relations Manager ($148,090), Public Relations Specialist ($84,470), Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist ($79,910). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Tumwater instead of Olympia?

Tumwater, WA is 3.6 miles from Olympia and has its own set of local communications programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Olympia an affordable place to study communications?

Olympia’s median household income of $76,930 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Olympia while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Communications Programs

Other Programs Available in Olympia

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Olympia:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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