Best Speech Pathology Schools Near Lakewood, WA (2026)

Lakewood, Washington has 1 accredited school offering speech pathology programs. Lakewood has a population of about 63,034. Median household income is $70,524 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, the top-earning speech pathology-related role is Audiologist at a median $128,350 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Speech Pathology Schools to Lakewood

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer speech pathology programs near Lakewood, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lakewood 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 Lakewood. 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

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, WA 35.6 miles from Lakewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
89.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,466
Avg net price $14,091/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 234

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA 108.9 miles from Lakewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,569
Avg net price $21,193/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Walla Walla University

College Place, WA 211.1 miles from Lakewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
67.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,885
Avg net price $23,329/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, WA 232.7 miles from Lakewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
59.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,897
Avg net price $13,886/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,586
Out‑of‑state$25,959
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 113

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Washington State University

Pullman, WA 255.1 miles from Lakewood
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,905
Avg net price $14,971/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 157

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Speech Pathology Wages Near Lakewood

Lakewood 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Speech-Language Pathologist$108,690Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$97,831
Audiologist$128,350Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$115,527
Healthcare Support Worker, All Other (incl. SLP Assistants)$64,540Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$58,092

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.


Lakewood at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population63,034Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$70,524Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)111.1 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Lakewood-Area Cities With Speech Pathology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited speech pathology schools are near Lakewood, WA?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering speech pathology programs near Lakewood. The closest is University of Washington-Seattle Campus in Seattle, WA (35.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Washington-Seattle Campus (35.6 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying speech pathology roles near Lakewood?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying speech pathology-related roles near Lakewood are: Audiologist ($128,350), Speech-Language Pathologist ($108,690), Healthcare Support Worker, All Other (incl. SLP Assistants) ($64,540). 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 University Place instead of Lakewood?

University Place, WA is 3.7 miles from Lakewood and has its own set of local speech pathology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lakewood an affordable place to study speech pathology?

Lakewood’s median household income of $70,524 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lakewood 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 Speech Pathology Programs

Other Programs Available in Lakewood

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

Data verified: August 31, 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.