Public · Community college
Northwest Indian College
Bellingham, Washington · Midsize suburb
- 24%
- Transfer rate
- $3,136
- Avg net price
- 18%
- Grad / completion
- $35,447
- Median earnings
Northwest Indian College is a public associate-granting institution in Bellingham, Washington (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 629 undergraduates. It is a Tribal college. Admission is open to all applicants.
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
- Midsize suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 83 miles to Seattle, WA
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Bellingham (BLI)
How Northwest Indian College compares
Higher than 3% · #57 of 58 in Washington
Higher than 15%
Higher than 51% · #40 of 51 in Washington
Cheaper than 96% · #1 cheapest of 58 in Washington
Lower than 62%
Larger than 66%
Percentiles compare Northwest Indian 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
- Women41266%
- Men21734%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White2.5%
- Hispanic11%
- Other or multiracial86%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 629
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 52%
- First-generation students
- 47%
- Students over 25
- 68%
- Median family income
- $11,799
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $57,798
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $4,365
- Room & board
- $5,500
- Books & supplies
- $1,032
- Total cost of attendance
- $10,551
- Average net price
- $3,136
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 (within 6 years)
- 18%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 9%
- First-year retention
- 55%
- Transferred to another college
- 24%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $29,768
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $35,447
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 86
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 14%
- Housing charge (year)
- $2,700
- Meal plan (year)
- $2,850
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- Independent
- Varsity athletes
- 44 (23 men · 21 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 (1)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (636 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$3,709/year × about 4.8 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 100% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,817. 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 59 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)
- $35,447
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 35%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
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 out-earn men by $6,540 (20%) 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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bellingham Intl AP, WA US station (3.5 mi from campus).
What Northwest Indian College graduates study — and earn
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 Northwest Indian College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northwest Indian College side by side →
Grays Harbor College
Aberdeen, Washington · Fringe rural · 82 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 1,010
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $41k
Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College
Miami Lakes, Florida · Large suburb · 12 mi to Miami
- Students
- 665
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $35k
Alpena Community College
Alpena, Michigan · Remote town · 171 mi to Lansing
- Students
- 732
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $36k
Independence Community College
Independence, Kansas · Fringe rural · 74 mi to Tulsa
- Students
- 486
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 35%
- Earnings
- $35k
Central Technology Center
Drumright, Oklahoma · Distant rural · 35 mi to Tulsa
- Students
- 533
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $36k
Erwin Technical College
Tampa, Florida · Large city · 3 mi to Tampa
- Students
- 581
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
Colleges near Northwest Indian College
Bellingham Technical College
Bellingham, WA · Public · Certificate · 1,733 students
Zorganics Institute of Beauty and Wellness
Bellingham, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 35 students
Whatcom Community College
Bellingham, WA · Public · Associate · 2,378 students
Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA · Public · Bachelor's · 13,544 students
Skagit Valley College
Mount Vernon, WA · Public · Associate · 2,477 students
Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building
Port Hadlock, WA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 50 students
Everett Community College
Everett, WA · Public · Associate · 4,709 students
Peninsula College
Port Angeles, WA · Public · Certificate · 1,263 students
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.












