Public · Community college

Bellingham Technical College

Bellingham, Washington · Small city

#4 best value in Washington

17%
Transfer rate: $5,997
Avg net price: 42%
Grad / completion: $49,748
Median earnings

Bellingham Technical College is a public certificate-granting institution in Bellingham, Washington (small city setting), enrolling 1,733 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,733 undergradsSmall cityNear the coast

About Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is a city in and the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. The Lummi, Nooksack, Samish, and Nuwhaha in particular fished in Bellingham Bay and shared the hunting and gathering grounds in the nearby forests and prairies. The Ski to Sea race is a team relay race made up of seven legs: cross country skiing, downhill skiing (or snowboarding), running, road biking, canoeing (2 person), mountain biking, and kayaking. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 81 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean: < 1 mile
Nearest airport: 2 miles to Bellingham (BLI)

How Bellingham Technical College compares

#60 · Community Colleges with the Highest Graduate Earnings

Graduation rate42%

Higher than 28% · #28 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,748

Higher than 90% · #11 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$5,997

Cheaper than 87% · #4 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$17,459

Lower than 9%

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 16%

Undergraduate enrollment1,733

Larger than 80%

Percentiles compare Bellingham Technical 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

Women83648%
Men89752%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White55%
Black1.3%
Hispanic18%
Asian5.0%
Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,733
Student–faculty ratio: 24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 31%
First-generation students: 41%
Students over 25: 50%
Median family income: $16,695
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $91,890
Endowment: $5,697,600

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 356 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Washington97%
Other U.S. states3.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Bellingham Technical 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: $4,431
Out-of-state tuition: $5,809
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $528
Total cost of attendance: $16,104
Average net price: $5,997

Outcomes

Graduated: 42%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $43,235
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $49,748
Median debt at graduation: $17,459
Students with federal loans: 8%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 41%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

42%

Low-income (Pell)

19%

First-generation

18%

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: No
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 6

Reported offenses in an average year

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

2.0reported offenses a year

0 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

2.0

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

$4,587

$30–48k

$6,826

$48–75k

$6,510

$75–110k

$6,412

$110k+

$15,444

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.

20%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,566

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 20% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,566. 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 250 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): $49,748
Typical debt at graduation: $17,459
Debt vs. one year's pay: 35%
Out-earn a HS grad: 62%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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

$42,606

Men

$59,799

Men out-earn women by $17,193 (40%) 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: 73°F
Winter low: 34°F
Annual rain: 34.7″
Annual snow: 3.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bellingham Intl AP, WA US station (2.2 mi from campus).

What Bellingham Technical College graduates study — and earn

Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

58 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

58———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

56 grads— 1 yr$85k 5 yr— debt

56—$85,195—Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralAssoc.

43 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

43———Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssoc.

40 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

40———Precision Metal WorkingAssoc.

36 grads— 1 yr$46k 5 yr— debt

36—$45,535—Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

36 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

36———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

34 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

34———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

33———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

33 grads— 1 yr$67k 5 yr— debt

33—$67,066—Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsCert.

30 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

30———Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

26 grads— 1 yr$49k 5 yr— debt

26—$49,220—

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 Bellingham Technical College

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

Bates Technical College

Public

Tacoma, Washington · Midsize city · 25 mi to Seattle

Students: 1,813
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $50k

Lake Washington Institute of Technology

Public

Kirkland, Washington · Large suburb · 10 mi to Seattle

Students: 2,406
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $51k

Renton Technical College

Public

Renton, Washington · Midsize city · 11 mi to Seattle

Students: 1,783
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $50k

South Seattle College

Public

Seattle, Washington · Large city · 4 mi to Seattle

Students: 1,616
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $44k

Skagit Valley College

Public

Mount Vernon, Washington · Small city · 57 mi to Seattle

Students: 2,477
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $44k

Shoreline College

Public

Shoreline, Washington · Large suburb · 10 mi to Seattle

Students: 3,046
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $52k

Colleges near Bellingham Technical College

Zorganics Institute of Beauty and Wellness

Bellingham, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 35 students

2 mi

Whatcom Community College

Bellingham, WA · Public · Associate · 2,378 students

2 mi

Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA · Public · Bachelor's · 13,544 students

2 mi

Northwest Indian College

Bellingham, WA · Public · Associate · 629 students

5 mi

Skagit Valley College

Mount Vernon, WA · Public · Associate · 2,477 students

25 mi

Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building

Port Hadlock, WA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 50 students

52 mi

Everett Community College

Everett, WA · Public · Associate · 4,709 students

54 mi

Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett

Everett, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,172 students

61 mi

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.