Whatcom Community College

Location and Contact Information

237 W Kellogg Rd
Bellingham, WA 98226
USA
Main Tel: (360) 383-3000
Web Site

The campus is in a rural site not far from an urban area.

Overview

Whatcom Community College, WCC, was established in 1967. WCC is a community college in Bellingham, Washington that boasts an enrollment of over 6,500 full-time and part-time students each year. The college offers numerous courses and programs in liberal arts and professional and technical areas.

WCC’s student body is diverse and impressive. It provides a number of services and organizes various events for the overall development of the students. The campus is also home to several clubs, organizations and honor societies based on the diverse interests of the students. Some of them are the Administration of Justice Club, the Japanese Association, the Sustainability Club, and Phi Theta Kappa. The college has an active athletics department and their sports teams participate in men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and soccer.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

  • Many students concentrating in liberal arts, therapy and counseling, and media.
  • Large number of students.
  • Affordable tuition & fees.
  • Superior share of faculty on tenure track.

School characteristics:

  • The school is public.
  • Academic calender: Quarter.
  • Carnegie classification: Associates Colleges.

Features of note:

  • Open admission; accepts all qualified candidates.
  • The school offers a faculty tenure system.
  • There are one or more libraries on-campus.
  • Students may study abroad.
  • Distance learning is available.
  • Part-time classes are available.
  • Athlete financial aid is awarded.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

ItemCost
State Tuition and fees$ 3,105
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 8,325
Books and supplies$ 1,080

Financial Aid

Whatcom Community College participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 28% of students received financial aid of some sort.

Grants% of
Students		Average
Amount
Any Grant25%$4,463
Institutional Grant7%$1,046
Federal Grant19%$3,183
Pell Grant19%$3,146
Other Federal Grant1%$621
State or Local Grant23%$1,931

Loans% of
Students		Average
Amount
Student Loan7%$3,524
Federal Loan7%$3,524
Other Loan  

(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Whatcom Community College:

Click a column header to sort.

 SchoolLocationEnrollment
1Columbia Basin CollegePasco, WA6,856
2Chemeketa Community CollegeSalem, OR11,043
3Highline Community CollegeDes Moines, WA6,165
4Metropolitan Community College-LongviewLees Summit, MO5,848
5Northwest Florida State CollegeNiceville, FL7,463
6Metropolitan Community College-Maple WoodsKansas City, MO4,549
7Saint Louis Community College-MeramecKirkwood, MO10,209
8Everett Community CollegeEverett, WA8,067
9Lane Community CollegeEugene, OR10,826
10Spokane Falls Community CollegeSpokane, WA9,823

Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

DegreeTotal
Earned		Different
Programs
Associate72113
1-2 year certificate3211
< 1 year certificate71

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Full-Time Faculty  Total
With tenure  50
Without tenure; working toward tenure  18
Without tenure; tenure not available  6

Students

Student enrollment was 4,429 in 2009-2010 (3,074 full-time equivalent).

Undergrads are 100% of enrolled students.

Students under 25 years old represent 75% of the student body. About 7% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Room and Board

On-campus housing is not available.

Graduate School Focus

The highest degree offered is the Associate.

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (26 awarded)

  • Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping
  • Business Administration and Management
  • Marketing

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (15 awarded)

  • Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
  • Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (16 awarded)

  • Early Childhood Education and Teaching
  • Teacher Assistant/Aide

HOSPITALITY (1 awarded)

  • Hospitality Administration/Management

LAW (10 awarded)

  • Legal Assistant/Paralegal

LIBERAL ARTS (558 awarded)

  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies

MEDIA (21 awarded)

  • Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (25 awarded)

  • Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder
  • Medical/Clinical Assistant

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (26 awarded)

  • Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION (1 awarded)

  • Office Management and Supervision

SCIENCE (1 awarded)

  • Physical Sciences

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (5 awarded)

  • Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (55 awarded)

  • Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
  • Physical Therapist Assistant