Public · Community college

Walla Walla Community College

Walla Walla, Washington · Small city

13%
Transfer rate: $9,406
Avg net price: 38%
Grad / completion: $43,526
Median earnings

Walla Walla Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Walla Walla, Washington (small city setting), enrolling 2,418 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,418 undergradsSmall cityNWACCold winters

About Walla Walla, Washington

Walla Walla is a city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. Walla Walla's history starts in 1806 when the Lewis and Clark expedition encountered the Walawalałáma (Walla Walla people) near the mouth of Walla Walla River. Walla Walla is the location of the treasure in Cash and Carry, a short film starring The Three Stooges. In the Looney Tunes short Transylvania 6-5000, "Walla Walla, Washington" is a magic word that can transform Count Bloodcount. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 116 miles to Spokane, WA
To the ocean: 211 miles
Nearest airport: 1 mile to Walla Walla (ALW)

How Walla Walla Community College compares

Graduation rate38%

Higher than 24% · #34 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,526

Higher than 80% · #23 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$9,406

Cheaper than 72% · #20 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$14,000

Lower than 17%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment2,418

Larger than 84%

Percentiles compare Walla Walla 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

Women1,34155%
Men1,07745%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White46%
Black5.3%
Hispanic32%
Asian1.4%
Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,418
Student–faculty ratio: 18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 32%
First-generation students: 46%
Students over 25: 50%
Median family income: $23,492
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $86,346
Endowment: $770,742

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 574 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Washington77%
Other U.S. states23%

Most first-years stay in state — Walla Walla 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: $5,279
Out-of-state tuition: $6,700
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $528
Total cost of attendance: $19,268
Average net price: $9,406

Outcomes

Graduated: 38%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,119
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $43,526
Median debt at graduation: $14,000
Students with federal loans: 12%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 37%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

38%

Low-income (Pell)

29%

First-generation

30%

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: 174 (100 men · 74 women)

Varsity sports (6)

Soccer50

Baseball42

Basketball31

Rodeo20

Softball18

Volleyball13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 8

Reported offenses in an average year

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

3.0reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

2.0

Motor vehicle theft

0.7

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

$8,224

$30–48k

$8,825

$48–75k

$9,301

$75–110k

$12,419

$110k+

$17,566

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.

37%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,602

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 37% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,602. 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 387 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): $43,526
Typical debt at graduation: $14,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 32%
Out-earn a HS grad: 49%

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

$39,717

Men

$50,075

Men out-earn women by $10,358 (26%) 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: 90°F
Winter low: 30°F
Annual rain: 18.7″
Annual snow: 6.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Walla Walla Rgnl AP, WA US station (1.2 mi from campus).

What Walla Walla Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

212 grads$24k 1 yr$40k 5 yr$11k debt

212$24,084$39,773$11,000 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

108 grads$75k 1 yr$77k 5 yr$21k debt

108$75,416$77,492$20,625 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

60 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

53 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

53———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

38 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

38———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

35 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

35———Business Administration, Management and Operations

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCert.

24 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

17 grads— 1 yr$34k 5 yr— debt

17—$33,760—Food Science and TechnologyAssoc.

16 grads— 1 yr$46k 5 yr— debt

16—$46,218—

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 Walla Walla Community College

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

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Students: 2,636
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Whatcom Community College

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Students: 2,378
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Yakima Valley College

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Yakima, Washington · Small city · 110 mi to Seattle

Students: 2,770
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $43k

Wenatchee Valley College

Public

Wenatchee, Washington · Small city · 94 mi to Seattle

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

Centralia College

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Centralia, Washington · Distant town · 68 mi to Seattle

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

Colleges near Walla Walla Community College

Whitman College

Walla Walla, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,531 students

3 mi

Walla Walla University

College Place, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,252 students

6 mi

Blue Mountain Community College

Pendleton, OR · Public · Associate · 962 students

38 mi

Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology

Kennewick, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 34 students

41 mi

Columbia Basin College

Pasco, WA · Public · Associate · 4,640 students

42 mi

Pacific Northwest Christian College

Kennewick, WA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 129 students

43 mi

Paul Mitchell the School-Richland

Richland, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 256 students

48 mi

Eastern Oregon University

La Grande, OR · Public · Bachelor's · 2,172 students

53 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.