The 50 ‘greenest’ colleges, ranked. Two are in Washington state. Was your college named?

Karlee Van De Venter
·4 min read

Looking at colleges can be a stressful process, especially if you aren’t sure what parameters matter most to you. How much do you factor in the cost, the culture, the sports or the professors?

In recent years, college applicants have put more weight on a college’s commitment to sustainability and the environment in their final decisions, according to a Princeton Review report of college-hopeful priorities, hopes and worries. Based on the report, a majority of people, 67%, answered that a school’s commitment to the environment would contribute to their decision on a school.

The Princeton Review also evaluates colleges around the world on their commitment to staying green, based on student and administrative reports. The top 50 are ranked in a “Guide to Green Colleges” resource for the following year, along with individual profiles on the 500-plus colleges reviewed. Only the top 50 schools were ranked, the rest evaluated for inclusion.

Two colleges in Washington state ranked in the top 25 schools in the 2024 guide.

Ranking of ‘green’ colleges

The full guide includes 522 schools, following a Princeton Review analysis of nearly 700 schools. Each was evaluated on 25 data points and given a tallied score between 60 and 99. Schools with a score of at least 80 were included in the guide. Out of these 522 schools, 40 received the highest possible score of 99.

Each of these schools have “exceptional programs, policies, and practices related to sustainability and the environment,” according to the press release from the Princeton Review.

This year, the top spot was awarded to the College of the Atlantic in Maine, and the second-place college is also in Maine.

Of the 522 schools, 474 were in the U.S. Additional countries that were mentioned included:

  • 30 times - Canada

  • Four times - Ireland

  • Three times - United Arab Emirates

  • Two times - Australia, Mexico

  • Once - Azerbaijan, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Morocco, Philippines and Taiwan

“Since we debuted our Green Guide 14 years ago, we have also seen dramatic growth in the number of colleges committing to sustainability-related practices—from sourcing food from local purveyors to constructing LEED- certified buildings to making fossil-fuel free commitments,” stated the Princeton Review editor-in-chief, Rob Franek, in the press release. “We are proud to shine our light on these exceptional schools. We recommend them enthusiastically to students who want their ‘best-fit’ college also to be a green one.”

Of the top 25 colleges, 100% have a sustainability officer and offer a sustainability-focused undergraduate major or degree. Additionally, 46% of their waste is diverted from incinerators or solid-waste landfills, and 28% of their energy comes from clean and renewable sources, according to the press release.

Greenest colleges in WA state

The first Washington state mention is at number eight, Gonzaga University in Spokane, up from its 2023 ranking of 32. Washington State University in Pullman was ranked number 23.

Gonzaga’s Office of Sustainability was established nearly a decade ago, but the director Jim Simon believes the pillars of sustainability are present in the university’s mission statement.

“We are called to care for the planet and steward the human, financial and ecological gifts that we have,” Simon stated in a press release from the university. “That drives much of the big and small things that we do.”

Recent environmental efforts through the school include significant waste reduction through recycling and composting programs, and a push to use bikes and public transportation over cars.

Gonzaga has noticed the same increase in the importance students place on a college’s commitments to the environment that was noted by the Princeton Review.

“Students are looking at how colleges and universities do (or don’t) integrate sustainability into their operations, activities and curriculum,” Simon stated in the press release. “At Gonzaga, that’s something we’re doing more and more of, and I think it’s being noticed by students that want to spend their college years at a place that shares their values.”

Other Washington state schools that received a score of at least 80, granting them a spot in the guide, include:

  • Cascadia College

  • Central Washington University

  • Eastern Washington University

  • North Seattle College

  • Seattle Central College

  • Seattle University

  • South Seattle College

  • University of Puget Sound

  • University of Washington—Bothell

  • University of Washington—Seattle

  • Western Washington University

  • Whitworth University