Public · Community college

Lower Columbia College

Longview, Washington · Small city

8%
Transfer rate
$7,630
Avg net price
23%
Grad / completion
$40,691
Median earnings

Lower Columbia College is a public associate-granting institution in Longview, Washington (small city setting), enrolling 1,932 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,932 undergradsSmall cityNWACNear the coast

About Longview, Washington

Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. The first Euro-American settlers were led by Harry and Rebecca Jane Huntington, in 1849. The area was named Monticello in honor of Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia. Every Independence Day, Longview hosts the Go Fourth Fest at Lake Sacajawea. Over 30,000 people visit the lake's vendor booths, live concerts, and exhibits. The festival also includes a parade starting downtown and ending at the park and a fireworks display. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
45 miles to Portland, OR
To the ocean
12 miles
Nearest airport
42 miles to Portland (PDX) · major hub

How Lower Columbia College compares

Graduation rate23%

Higher than 7% · #55 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,691

Higher than 71% · #34 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$7,630

Cheaper than 80% · #12 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$10,506

Lower than 41%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment1,932

Larger than 81%

Percentiles compare Lower Columbia 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

1,932undergrads
  • Women1,19762%
  • Men73538%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White61%
  • Black2.9%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian2.3%
  • Other or multiracial19%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,932
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
40%
Median family income
$14,682
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$89,199
Endowment
$25,208,000

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 433 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Washington87%
  • Other U.S. states13%

Most first-years stay in state — Lower Columbia 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
$4,626
Out-of-state tuition
$6,003
Room & board
$17,310
Books & supplies
$762
Total cost of attendance
$16,169
Average net price
$7,630

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
23%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,296
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,691
Median debt at graduation
$10,506
Students with federal loans
13%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
28%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
23%
Low-income (Pell)
24%
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
72
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
4%
Housing charge (year)
$2,700
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NWAC
Varsity athletes
120 (48 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)

Baseball34
Basketball30
Soccer25
Softball18
Volleyball13

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)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,724 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
0.3
Burglary
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$6,078
$30–48k
$7,069
$48–75k
$9,483
$75–110k
$10,482
$110k+
$14,192

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.

24%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,128
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 24% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,128. 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 353 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)
$40,691
Typical debt at graduation
$10,506
Debt vs. one year's pay
26%
Out-earn a HS grad
46%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 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
$36,955
Men
$46,968

Men out-earn women by $10,013 (27%) 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
80°F
Winter low
35°F
Annual rain
48.1″
Annual snow
2.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.67.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Longview, WA US station (1.1 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 Lower Columbia College

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

Colleges near Lower Columbia 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.