Public · Community college

Big Bend Community College

Moses Lake, Washington · Remote town

12%
Transfer rate
$12,210
Avg net price
42%
Grad / completion
$43,814
Median earnings

Big Bend Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Moses Lake, Washington (remote town setting), enrolling 1,272 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,272 undergradsRemote townNWACCold winters

About Moses Lake, Washington

Moses Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. Before the construction of Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in 1941 and Moses Lake Army Air Base in 1942 the area was largely barren. Moses Lake's historic economic base has been agriculture, but now includes considerable manufacturing and technology. Several companies have moved to the area, including REC Silicon (one of the world's largest manufacturers of polysilicon, used in solar panels). (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
95 miles to Spokane, WA
To the ocean
141 miles
Nearest airport
44 miles to Pangborn Memorial (EAT)

How Big Bend Community College compares

Graduation rate42%

Higher than 27% · #30 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,814

Higher than 81% · #22 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$12,210

Cheaper than 61% · #35 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$9,166

Lower than 65%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment1,272

Larger than 76%

Percentiles compare Big Bend Community 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

1,272undergrads
  • Women71756%
  • Men55544%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White34%
  • Black1.6%
  • Hispanic52%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,272
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
53%
Students over 25
26%
Median family income
$24,000
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$89,496
Endowment
$3,708,675

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 368 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Washington91%
  • Other U.S. states8.7%

Most first-years stay in state — Big Bend Community 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
$5,059
Out-of-state tuition
$5,619
Room & board
$17,310
Books & supplies
$528
Total cost of attendance
$21,661
Average net price
$12,210

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
42%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,267
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$43,814
Median debt at graduation
$9,166
Students with federal loans
7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
33%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
42%
Low-income (Pell)
25%
First-generation
25%

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
200
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
16%
Housing charge (year)
$3,450
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NWAC
Varsity athletes
164 (92 men · 72 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 (5)

Wrestling54
Baseball45
Basketball32
Volleyball18
Softball15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,857 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
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
$10,060
$30–48k
$11,464
$48–75k
$14,011
$75–110k
$17,076
$110k+
$19,828

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.

32%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,541
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 32% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,541. 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 330 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)
$43,814
Typical debt at graduation
$9,166
Debt vs. one year's pay
21%
Out-earn a HS grad
45%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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
$38,981
Men
$50,984

Men out-earn women by $12,003 (31%) 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
90°F
Winter low
24°F
Annual rain
7.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.61.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Moses Lake Grant CO AP, WA US station (1.7 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 Big Bend Community College

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

Colleges near Big Bend Community 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.