Public · Community college

Spokane Community College

Spokane, Washington · Midsize city

#3 best value in Washington

12%
Transfer rate: $5,473
Avg net price: 33%
Grad / completion: $41,984
Median earnings

Spokane Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Spokane, Washington (midsize city setting), enrolling 4,533 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,533 undergradsMidsize cityCold wintersSnowy

About Spokane, Washington

Spokane is a city in and the county seat of Spokane County in the U.S. state of Washington. The first humans to live in the Spokane area were hunter-gatherers that lived off plentiful fish and game; early human remains have been dated to 8,000 to 13,000 years ago. Spokane's main art districts are located in the Davenport Arts District, the Garland Business District, and East Sprague. The First Friday Artwalk, which occurs the first Friday of every month, is dedicated to local vendors and performers displaying art around downtown. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 3 miles to Spokane, WA
To the ocean: 225 miles
Nearest airport: 9 miles to Spokane (GEG) · major hub

How Spokane Community College compares

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 17% · #42 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,984

Higher than 76% · #30 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$5,473

Cheaper than 89% · #3 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$13,501

Lower than 19%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment4,533

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare Spokane 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 Washington.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women2,55156%
Men1,98244%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White58%
Black3.5%
Hispanic13%
Asian2.3%
Other or multiracial23%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,533
Student–faculty ratio: 14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 32%
First-generation students: 40%
Students over 25: 49%
Median family income: $20,691
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $89,883
Endowment: $12,225,277

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 1,125 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Washington92%
Other U.S. states8.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Spokane Community 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: $5,461
Out-of-state tuition: $6,612
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,134
Total cost of attendance: $13,839
Average net price: $5,473

Outcomes

Graduated: 33%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,814
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $41,984
Median debt at graduation: $13,501
Students with federal loans: 21%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 30%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

33%

Low-income (Pell)

22%

First-generation

23%

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 6

Reported offenses in an average year

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

2.7reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft

1.3

Burglary

0.7

Fondling

0.3

Robbery

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

$4,012

$30–48k

$4,327

$48–75k

$5,928

$75–110k

$10,391

$110k+

$12,950

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.

15%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,248

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 15% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,248. 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 934 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): $41,984
Typical debt at graduation: $13,501
Debt vs. one year's pay: 32%
Out-earn a HS grad: 47%

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

$38,345

Men

$47,517

Men out-earn women by $9,172 (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: 87°F
Winter low: 26°F
Annual rain: 17.4″
Annual snow: 45.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Spokane Felts Fld, WA US station (1.9 mi from campus).

What Spokane Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

396 grads$35k 1 yr$45k 5 yr$16k debt

396$34,583$44,896$16,455 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

352 grads$37k 1 yr$51k 5 yr$16k debt

352$37,228$51,033$16,433 Computer Software and Media ApplicationsCert.

89 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

89———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

88 grads$38k 1 yr$49k 5 yr$15k debt

88$38,197$49,295$15,011 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

86 grads$78k 1 yr$80k 5 yr$26k debt

86$77,999$80,308$25,728 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

66 grads$63k 1 yr$71k 5 yr$20k debt

66$63,228$71,391$20,183 Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssoc.

60 grads$36k 1 yr$44k 5 yr$21k debt

60$35,905$44,286$20,757 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

48 grads$35k 1 yr— 5 yr$10k debt

48$35,309—$9,500 Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCert.

43 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

43———Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

39 grads$66k 1 yr$46k 5 yr— debt

39$66,293$46,165—Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

30 grads$32k 1 yr$35k 5 yr$20k debt

30$31,974$35,047$20,416 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

28 grads$18k 1 yr— 5 yr$8k debt

28$17,869—$7,980

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 Spokane Community College

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

Olympic College

Public

Bremerton, Washington · Small city · 14 mi to Seattle

Students: 3,826
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $43k

Skagit Valley College

Public

Mount Vernon, Washington · Small city · 57 mi to Seattle

Students: 2,477
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

Seattle Central College

Public

Seattle, Washington · Large city · 1 mi to Seattle

Students: 3,953
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 24%
Earnings: $43k

Columbia Basin College

Public

Pasco, Washington · Large suburb · 126 mi to Spokane

Students: 4,640
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $47k

Tacoma Community College

Public

Tacoma, Washington · Midsize city · 27 mi to Seattle

Students: 4,668
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $47k

Colleges near Spokane Community College

Great Northern University

Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 48 students

2 mi

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,198 students

2 mi

Northwest HVAC/R Training Center

Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 50 students

2 mi

Carrington College-Spokane

Spokane, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 352 students

4 mi

Studio Beauty School

Spokane Valley, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 81 students

4 mi

Spokane Falls Community College

Spokane, WA · Public · Associate · 3,199 students

5 mi

Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs

Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 145 students

6 mi

Whitworth University

Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,858 students

6 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.