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A Great Choice for Education
Community and technical colleges create opportunities. They welcome all who desire to learn, regardless of wealth, heritage or previous academic experience.
Edmonds Community College

Thanks to open door admissions and lower tuition rates, community and technical college enrollments reflect the diversity of the varied communities they serve.

Education That Pays

Students who complete associate degrees and certificates are more likely to move into higher-status management and professional positions with higher earnings. An investment of a few thousand dollars now will likely pay lifelong dividends, as students who earn associate degrees average lifetime earnings of $250,000 more than people without degrees.

Education That Works

Community and technical colleges have become colleges of choice for workers who want to take classes to upgrade their skills for a promotion or raise, or to enter a new field.

You may choose to earn an associate of applied science degree or certificate and then enter the workplace. More students can now parlay professional-technical degrees toward a bachelor’s degree through university partnerships and new bachelor’s degrees offered by the community and technical colleges.

Transfer Education That Succeeds

  • Of all four-year college and university graduates from the state of Washington, 41% began their studies at one of our community colleges
  • College-ready community college students reach junior status at the same rate as freshmen who directly enter public universities
  • Of students who enrolled at two-year colleges right after high school, 76% were on the transfer path within two years, compared to 57% of students who delayed entering college
  • On average, students who transfer only take one additional course compared to students who start out at a university

Where Do High School Graduates in Washington Go?

  • 37% enroll in a community or technical college
  • 29% enroll at in-state universities
  • 8% enroll out of state
  • 5% attend community or technical college after waiting one or two years
  • 5% first attend a university and then transfer back to a two-year college within a year or two of high school graduation.

Open Door: Myth vs. Fact

MYTH

It’s okay if I do poorly in high school, because I can take any community or technical college class I want. Classes are easier.

FACT

Open door simply means the colleges offer a variety of class levels and student services to accommodate differing academic readiness levels. We take you from where you are to where you want to be. From basic literacy to advanced physics, the placement test determines which classes students are eligible to take.