What Whatcom Community College is like

What it's like

Whatcom Community College is a public two-year institution in Bellingham, Washington serving a diverse regional student body. The college balances transfer pathways with professional and technical training, serving roughly 6,800 credit-seeking students annually alongside thousands more in continuing education and dual-enrollment (Running Start) programs. The student population skews younger and local—68% are ages 16–24, and 76% of students 20 and under come from Whatcom County—with 42% first-generation college students and 21% students of color among degree-seeking enrollees.

Academic feel

WCC emphasizes pathways to four-year institutions alongside workforce-ready credentials. The college offers transfer degrees, professional and technical training, basic education, job skills training, online courses, and continuing education classes. The institution has earned recognition for student success metrics and was named among the nation's top 150 community colleges by the Aspen Institute, placing it among only six Washington state community colleges to receive this distinction as of 2014.

Strengths

• National center of academic excellence in cybersecurity and information assurance, designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security in 2014 and recognized by the NSF in 2021 as an Advanced Technological Education National Cybersecurity Center.[1][2]
• Strong track record of student success recognized by the Aspen Institute, which selected WCC among the nation's top 150 community colleges from over 1,000 public two-year institutions.[2]
• Serves a substantial Running Start dual-enrollment cohort of over 1,100 students annually, providing high school students direct pathways to college credentials.[2]
• Auxiliary Services Building earned LEED Silver certification, demonstrating commitment to sustainable campus design.[1][2]