Community colleges
Community Colleges in Washington
CampusPin classifies 10 of Washington's 73 colleges as community (two-year) colleges, about 13.7% of the state's institutions. Community colleges are the most affordable on-ramp to higher education, with a median published in-state tuition of $4,746 in this snapshot.
Washington community colleges by the numbers
- Community colleges
- 10
- Share of state colleges
- 13.7%
- Median published in-state tuition
- $4,746
- National public 2-year median
- $4,288
- Lowest published tuition
- Everett Community College ($5,032)
Counts and shares come from CampusPin's committed institution-distribution snapshot; the tuition median is the published in-state figure from the tuition-by-state snapshot. Those cover every community college in the state. The list below covers all 10 of them. Published prices are before financial aid, net price is typically lower, and lower tuition is not a measure of quality.
What work without a bachelor's degree pays in Washington
66% of jobs in Washington are in occupations the federal government reports as typically entered with an associate degree, a certificate, some college, a high-school diploma, or no formal credential. 26% of that employment pays more than $62,990, the median wage across all occupations there.
- Jobs not typically needing a bachelor's
- 66%
- Of those, paying above the local median
- 26%
- Washington median wage, all occupations
- $62,990
- Best-paid such occupation in Washington
- Air traffic controllers ($162,570) — typically entered with an associate's degree
These figures describe occupations, not graduates. They do not measure what community-college students in Washington earn, and they are not evidence that any credential caused the pay. Typical entry education is a national assignment describing what people entering an occupation usually hold, not a requirement and not a guarantee that a particular employer accepts it. A median describes everyone working in an occupation, experienced and new alike, so it is not a starting salary, and wages are not adjusted for cost of living.
All community colleges in Washington
- Bates Technical CollegeTacoma · $6,027
- Carrington College-SpokaneSpokane · $15,452
- Everett Community CollegeEverett · $5,032
- Northwest School of Wooden Boat BuildingPort Hadlock · $20,025
- Pacific Northwest Christian CollegeKennewick · $11,350
- Perry Technical InstituteYakima · $15,452
- Pima Medical Institute-RentonRenton · $15,452
- Pima Medical Institute-SeattleSeattle · $15,452
- Shoreline Community CollegeShoreline · $5,115
- South Puget Sound Community CollegeOlympia · $5,252
Why start at a Washington community college?
Community colleges typically offer open or less-selective admission, the lowest published tuition of any sector, and transfer pathways that let students complete lower-division coursework before moving to a four-year university. They also serve working and returning students with part-time, evening, and online options. Confirm transfer-credit and articulation agreements with each college and your target university. Because two-year colleges anchor the low-cost end of every state's mix, our cost and outcomes by state research puts that affordability in context against each state's overall medians.
Community colleges in nearby states
Data sources & methodology
Community-college counts and shares for Washington come from CampusPin's committed institution-distribution and tuition-by-state snapshots; the college list is compiled live from each institution's record.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Community Colleges in Washington. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/community-colleges-in/washington