Public · Community college

Blue Mountain Community College

Pendleton, Oregon · Distant town

20%
Transfer rate: $13,095
Avg net price: 30%
Grad / completion: $38,375
Median earnings

Blue Mountain Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Pendleton, Oregon (distant town setting), enrolling 962 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 962 undergradsDistant townNWACCold winters

About Pendleton, Oregon

Pendleton is a city in and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. A European-American commercial center began to develop here in 1851, when William C. McKay established a trading post at the mouth of McKay Creek. In addition to the woolen mills, Pendleton is also famous for its annual rodeo, the Pendleton Round-Up. First held in 1910, it is part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sanctioned rodeo circuit. It is among the top ten PRCA venues in terms of prize money. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 152 miles to Spokane, WA
To the ocean: 203 miles
Nearest airport: 2 miles to Eastern Oregon Regional Airport at Pendleton (PDT)

How Blue Mountain Community College compares

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 12% · #26 of 37 in Oregon

First-year retention51%

Higher than 12%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,375

Higher than 62% · #10 of 33 in Oregon

Average net price$13,095

Cheaper than 57% · #23 cheapest of 35 in Oregon

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment962

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare Blue Mountain 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 Oregon.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women60563%
Men35737%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White42%
Black0.9%
Hispanic33%
Asian1.0%
Other or multiracial23%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 962
Student–faculty ratio: 18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 33%
First-generation students: 50%
Students over 25: 35%
Median family income: $23,176
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $85,698
Endowment: $4,147,994

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $7,076
Out-of-state tuition: $9,754
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,050
Total cost of attendance: $20,650
Average net price: $13,095

Outcomes

Graduated: 30%
First-year retention: 51%
Transferred to another college: 20%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $33,885
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $38,375
Median debt at graduation: $12,000
Students with federal loans: 7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 27%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

30%

Low-income (Pell)

20%

First-generation

19%

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
Athletics: NWAC
Varsity athletes: 194 (119 men · 75 women)

Varsity sports (7)

Baseball58

Soccer47

Rodeo25

Basketball24

Golf14

Softball13

Volleyball13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 1

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.3reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

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

$12,374

$30–48k

$11,884

$48–75k

$13,508

$75–110k

$15,288

$110k+

$17,245

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.

36%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,856

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 36% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,856. 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 184 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): $38,375
Typical debt at graduation: $12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 31%
Out-earn a HS grad: 46%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 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

$35,358

Men

$45,260

Men out-earn women by $9,902 (28%) 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: 28°F
Annual rain: 13.1″
Annual snow: 18″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pendleton Dwtn, OR US station (1.1 mi from campus).

What Blue Mountain Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

140 grads$26k 1 yr$44k 5 yr$16k debt

140$25,872$43,726$16,009 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

15 grads— 1 yr$97k 5 yr$25k debt

15—$97,243$25,221 Agricultural Production OperationsAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Fire ProtectionAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr$35k 5 yr— debt

6—$35,365—Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Agricultural Business and ManagementAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———

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 Blue Mountain Community College

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

Treasure Valley Community College

Public

Ontario, Oregon · Distant town · 48 mi to Boise

Students: 1,193
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $37k

Clatsop Community College

Public

Astoria, Oregon · Remote town · 72 mi to Portland

Students: 493
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $39k

Southwestern Oregon Community College

Public

Coos Bay, Oregon · Remote town · 74 mi to Eugene

Students: 1,270
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 23%
Earnings: $38k

Columbia Gorge Community College

Public

The Dalles, Oregon · Remote town · 72 mi to Portland

Students: 543
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $44k

Umpqua Community College

Public

Roseburg, Oregon · Remote town · 54 mi to Eugene

Students: 2,219
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $37k

Great Falls College Montana State University

Public

Great Falls, Montana · Small city · 135 mi to Missoula

Students: 894
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $38k

Colleges near Blue Mountain Community College

Walla Walla University

College Place, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,252 students

33 mi

Whitman College

Walla Walla, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,531 students

36 mi

Walla Walla Community College

Walla Walla, WA · Public · Associate · 2,418 students

38 mi

Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology

Kennewick, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 34 students

39 mi

Pacific Northwest Christian College

Kennewick, WA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 129 students

40 mi

Columbia Basin College

Pasco, WA · Public · Associate · 4,640 students

42 mi

Eastern Oregon University

La Grande, OR · Public · Bachelor's · 2,172 students

43 mi

Paul Mitchell the School-Richland

Richland, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 256 students

43 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.