Public · Community college

Peninsula College

Port Angeles, Washington · Remote town

16%
Transfer rate: $9,246
Avg net price: 37%
Grad / completion: $37,078
Median earnings

Peninsula College is a public certificate-granting institution in Port Angeles, Washington (remote town setting), enrolling 1,263 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,263 undergradsRemote townNWACNear the coast

About Port Angeles, Washington

Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. In 1791, the harbor was entered by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza, who named it Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Port of Our Lady of the Angels), claiming it for Spain. He was on an expedition from southern California. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 61 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean: 1 mile
Nearest airport: 34 miles to Friday Harbor (FRD)

How Peninsula College compares

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 22% · #36 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$37,078

Higher than 57% · #38 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$9,246

Cheaper than 73% · #19 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$15,786

Lower than 13%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment1,263

Larger than 76%

Percentiles compare Peninsula 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

Women68955%
Men57445%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White51%
Black2.1%
Hispanic13%
Asian1.6%
Other or multiracial32%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,263
Student–faculty ratio: 16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 32%
First-generation students: 44%
Students over 25: 52%
Median family income: $14,858
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $76,230
Endowment: $6,131,508

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 245 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Washington89%
Other U.S. states11%

Most first-years stay in state — Peninsula 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: $4,718
Out-of-state tuition: $5,270
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $528
Total cost of attendance: $18,514
Average net price: $9,246

Outcomes

Graduated: 37%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $34,154
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $37,078
Median debt at graduation: $15,786
Students with federal loans: 7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 31%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

37%

Low-income (Pell)

29%

First-generation

31%

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: 78 (36 men · 42 women)

Varsity sports (2)

Soccer54

Basketball24

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): 6

Reported offenses in an average year

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

2.3reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

2.0

Rape

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

$8,721

$30–48k

$8,339

$48–75k

$9,681

$75–110k

$11,193

$110k+

$16,510

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.

23%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$3,072

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 23% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,072. 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 161 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): $37,078
Typical debt at graduation: $15,786
Debt vs. one year's pay: 43%
Out-earn a HS grad: 39%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 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

$34,377

Men

$42,612

Men out-earn women by $8,235 (24%) 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: 67°F
Winter low: 36°F
Annual rain: 26.5″
Annual snow: 0.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Port Angeles, WA US station (1.2 mi from campus).

What Peninsula College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

177 grads$23k 1 yr$35k 5 yr$9k debt

177$23,117$34,523$8,713 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

76 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

28 grads$79k 1 yr$71k 5 yr$17k debt

28$79,369$70,691$16,746 Precision Metal WorkingAssoc.

21 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

15 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

15———Business Administration, Management and Operations

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———

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 Peninsula College

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

Wenatchee Valley College

Public

Wenatchee, Washington · Small city · 94 mi to Seattle

Students: 1,759
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $41k

Lower Columbia College

Public

Longview, Washington · Small city · 45 mi to Portland

Students: 1,932
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $41k

Centralia College

Public

Centralia, Washington · Distant town · 68 mi to Seattle

Students: 1,552
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $43k

Clover Park Technical College

Public

Lakewood, Washington · Small city · 31 mi to Seattle

Students: 2,636
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $42k

Big Bend Community College

Public

Moses Lake, Washington · Remote town · 95 mi to Spokane

Students: 1,272
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $44k

Spokane Falls Community College

Public

Spokane, Washington · Midsize city · 2 mi to Spokane

Students: 3,199
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $39k

Colleges near Peninsula College

Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building

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

31 mi

Olympic College

Bremerton, WA · Public · Associate · 3,826 students

51 mi

Edmonds College

Lynnwood, WA · Public · Associate · 3,656 students

54 mi

Shoreline College

Shoreline, WA · Public · Associate · 3,046 students

55 mi

Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Shoreline

Shoreline, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 131 students

55 mi

Skagit Valley College

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

56 mi

Everett Community College

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

56 mi

Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett

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

57 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.