Public · Community college

Skagit Valley College

Mount Vernon, Washington · Small city

12%
Transfer rate
$6,064
Avg net price
36%
Grad / completion
$43,505
Median earnings

Skagit Valley College is a public associate-granting institution in Mount Vernon, Washington (small city setting), enrolling 2,477 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,477 undergradsSmall cityNWACNear the coast

About Mount Vernon, Washington

Mount Vernon is the county seat of and the most populous city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. Jasper Gates and Joseph Dwelley first settled on the banks of the Skagit River, where the city of Mount Vernon now lies, in 1870. Later on, Harrison Clothier came to the community in 1877 to teach school and join in business with a former student, E.G. English. The Historic Lincoln Theatre on First Street in downtown Mount Vernon was originally built in 1926 as a vaudeville and silent movie house. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
57 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean
8 miles
Nearest airport
27 miles to Bellingham (BLI)

How Skagit Valley College compares

Graduation rate36%

Higher than 21% · #39 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,505

Higher than 80% · #24 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$6,064

Cheaper than 86% · #6 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$13,805

Lower than 18%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment2,477

Larger than 84%

Percentiles compare Skagit Valley 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

2,477undergrads
  • Women1,54262%
  • Men93538%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White46%
  • Black2.9%
  • Hispanic31%
  • Asian5.3%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,477
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
43%
Median family income
$22,051
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$90,468
Endowment
$22,699,209

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 705 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Washington94%
  • Other U.S. states5.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Skagit Valley 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
$5,400
Out-of-state tuition
$7,500
Room & board
$17,400
Books & supplies
$525
Total cost of attendance
$14,866
Average net price
$6,064

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
36%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,892
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$43,505
Median debt at graduation
$13,805
Students with federal loans
5%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
33%
First-generation
34%

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
140
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
6%
Housing charge (year)
$5,475
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NWAC
Varsity athletes
151 (84 men · 67 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 (6)

Soccer49
Baseball38
Basketball28
Softball14
Golf12
Volleyball10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
16

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (4,028 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.

5.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year5.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.7
Arson
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

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
$4,337
$30–48k
$5,476
$48–75k
$7,109
$75–110k
$7,773
$110k+
$14,102

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.

13%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,712
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 13% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,712. 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 598 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)
$43,505
Typical debt at graduation
$13,805
Debt vs. one year's pay
32%
Out-earn a HS grad
50%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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
$40,180
Men
$50,136

Men out-earn women by $9,956 (25%) 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
75°F
Winter low
35°F
Annual rain
48.5″
Annual snow
5.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.57.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, MT Vernon 3 Wnw, WA US station (3.6 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 Skagit Valley College

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

Colleges near Skagit Valley 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.