Best Instructional Design Schools Near Seattle, WA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Seattle, Washington has 2 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Seattle has a population of about 741,440. Median household income is $121,984 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 67.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $168,240 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Seattle

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design programs near Seattle, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Seattle 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 Seattle. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, WA 2.6 miles from Seattle
  • 4 year
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,506
Avg net price $24,488/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Seattle

Seattle is part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (BLS area code 42660). 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)
Instructional Coordinators $97,130 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $87,426
Training and Development Specialists $89,550 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $80,603
Training and Development Managers $168,240 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $151,431
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $79,820 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $71,845
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $60,100 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $54,095
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $133,000 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $119,712
Farm and Home Management Educators $63,440 WA statewide $57,102
Graphic Designers $76,720 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $69,055

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.

Seattle at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 741,440 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $121,984 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 67.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 111.1 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Seattle-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Seattle, WA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Seattle. The closest is Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, WA (2.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Western Washington University (77.5 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying instructional design roles near Seattle?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Seattle are: Training and Development Managers ($168,240), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($133,000), Instructional Coordinators ($97,130). 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 Mercer Island instead of Seattle?

Mercer Island, WA is 6.1 miles from Seattle and has its own set of local instructional design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Seattle an affordable place to study instructional design?

Seattle’s median household income of $121,984 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Seattle 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 Instructional Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Seattle

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

Data verified: September 5, 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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