Public · Community college

Bellevue College

Bellevue, Washington · Midsize city

#4 for grad earnings in Washington
24%
Transfer rate
$11,430
Avg net price
36%
Grad / completion
$56,310
Median earnings

Bellevue College is a public associate-granting institution in Bellevue, Washington (midsize city setting), enrolling 7,364 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 7,364 undergradsMidsize cityNWACNear the coast

About Bellevue, Washington

Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. The Duwamish, whose main settlements were located in present-day Renton and Seattle, maintained a small outpost settlement called Satskal along the Mercer Slough, south of present-day downtown Bellevue. Bellevue is the site of the annual Bellevue Arts and Crafts Fair (originally Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair), held since 1947 during the last weekend in July. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
9 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean
9 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to King County International Airport - Boeing Field (BFI)

How Bellevue College compares

Graduation rate36%

Higher than 20% · #40 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$56,310

Higher than 94% · #4 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$11,430

Cheaper than 64% · #31 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$12,375

Lower than 25%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment7,364

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Bellevue College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Washington.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

7,364undergrads
  • Women4,11756%
  • Men3,24744%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White28%
  • Black5.1%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian19%
  • Other or multiracial33%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,364
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
10%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
27%
Median family income
$23,941
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$106,866
Endowment
$18,658,665

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,395 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Washington95%
  • Other U.S. states4.7%

Most first-years stay in state — Bellevue College draws overwhelmingly from Washington.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,436
Out-of-state tuition
$10,502
Room & board
$17,310
Books & supplies
$528
Total cost of attendance
$20,309
Average net price
$11,430

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
36%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,460
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$56,310
Median debt at graduation
$12,375
Students with federal loans
3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
45%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
21%
First-generation
21%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
363
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
5%
Housing charge (year)
$11,933
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NWAC
Varsity athletes
170 (90 men · 80 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (7)

Soccer50
Baseball34
Basketball26
Golf15
Softball15
Tennis15
Volleyball15

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
21

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (12,485 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

9.7reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year7.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
3.3
Burglary
3.0
Fondling
1.0
Aggravated assault
1.0
Arson
0.7
Rape
0.3
Robbery
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,500
$30–48k
$10,049
$48–75k
$13,829
$75–110k
$16,815
$110k+
$19,973

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

8%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,640
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,640. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 979 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$56,310
Typical debt at graduation
$12,375
Debt vs. one year's pay
22%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$51,743
Men
$61,803

Men out-earn women by $10,060 (19%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
78°F
Winter low
37°F
Annual rain
34.7″
Annual snow
3.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Renton Muni AP, WA US station (6.9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Bellevue College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bellevue College side by side →

Colleges near Bellevue College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.