Against All Odds, A Top Liberal College Thrives in Eastern Washington

Despite Washington State moving further to the left, those of us living in Washington know that the Cascade Curtain still hangs in the state between West and East. It's Red Versus Blue out here, as the more rural counties tend to swing conservative. This only gets more true the closer you get to the Idaho border, which, to some, is a conservative paradise.

Yet deep in this sea of red is a beacon of blue: one of the most liberal colleges in the United States.

Washington State University: A Liberal College Top Pick

You may have guessed it, but yes, we're talking about WSU (or as the locals say, Wazzu). Washington State University has six campuses across the state, but its heart is in Pullman, approximately 15 minutes from the Idaho border.

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WSU has been ranked as 13th in the most liberal colleges in the United States by Niche. While that doesn't put it in the top 10, the ranking is out of 726 colleges - making it in the top 2% of all colleges ranked by Niche.

Niche determines this ranking based on self-reporting from its site users on two factors:

• 80% goes toward the self-reported political leanings of the students themselves
• 20% goes toward the self-reported opinion on other students' political leanings

Based on the reviews of WSU on Niche, this has a sample size of about 4,000 students.

Niche's ranking system puts the Academy of Art University in San Francisco as the top liberal college in the nation.

What do students have to say that makes WSU a liberal pick?

Washington State University has been a very inclusive environment to come into, there is something for everyone from the different programs they provide and the things that lay within them to the massive amount of clubs they have.

- Sophomore on Niche

They really focus on every student success no matter your race or social status.

- Freshman on Niche

My last central point of a review is to say the only thing WSU has more of than academics is a political ideology; if you don't have left-leaning ideals, WSU will likely not agree with you. People are allowed to protest, but I've never seen a right-leaning protest that was university lead, and those right-leaning are often ignored or mocked.

- Junior on Niche

What else does WSU rank in on Niche?

Nationally, Niche gives Washington State the following rankings in the top 50 of their respective class:

• Most Liberal Colleges in America: #13 of 726
• Best Colleges for Agricultural Sciences in America: #14 of 152
• Best Colleges for Communications in America: #30 of 907
• Colleges with the Best Professors in America: #37 of 1,503
• Best Greek Life Colleges in America: #40 of 521
• Top Party Schools in America: #46 of 1,500

In Washington State, WSU ranks number one for:

• Best Colleges for Business
• Top Party Schools
• Colleges with the Best Professors
• Best Colleges For Economics
• Most Liberal Colleges

It also ranks in the top five in Washington for:

• Colleges with the Best Student Life : #2 of 23
• Best Colleges : #2 of 22
• Best Test Optional Colleges : #2 of 22
• Best Colleges for Education : #2 of 20
• Best Colleges for Biology : #2 of 18
• Best Colleges for Psychology : #2 of 18
• Best Colleges for Student Athletes : #2 of 18
• Best Colleges for Communications : #2 of 16
• Best Colleges for Nursing : #2 of 16
• Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance : #2 of 13
• Top Public Universities : #2 of 10
• Colleges with the Best Academics : #3 of 22
• Best Colleges for Computer Science : #3 of 18
• Best College Food : #3 of 16
• Best College Athletics : #4 of 19
• Best Value Colleges : #5 of 22
• Best Colleges for English : #5 of 16

Interested in learning more about Washington State University?

Visit the WSU official website, and check out the video tour below.