South Puget Sound Community College vs Highline College

South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) and Highline College stand out as two prominent community colleges in Washington, each offering unique educational opportunities. SPSCC boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming all students with open arms, while Highline College maintains a slightly more selective approach with an acceptance rate of 98%. Both institutions offer a diverse range of programs, with SPSCC excelling in fields like Business, Health Professions, and STEM, and Highline College shining in areas such as Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. SPSCC's student body comprises 49% female and 51% male students, while Highline College's student population is slightly more balanced, with 52% female and 48% male students. When it comes to graduation rates, SPSCC reports a 33% graduation rate within three years, while Highline College achieves a slightly higher rate of 35%. To help you make an informed decision, we
Highline College logo

Highline College

South Puget Sound Community College logo

South Puget Sound Community College

Overview

Location Des Moines, Washington Olympia, Washington
Campus setting Suburb: Large City: Small
College type 4 year 2 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Quarter Quarter
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 63.0%
Common app member No No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate Open Admission Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range N/A N/A
ACT range N/A N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT) Not required Not required
High school GPA N/A N/A
Recommendation letters N/A N/A
High school transcript N/A N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) N/A N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $20,334

Out of state: $20,803
In state: $20,896

Out of state: $26,529
Average net price $9,882 $9,399
Tuition $3,445
In state: $4,315

Out of state: $9,948
Room & board
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

35.0%
Average amount $5,583
49.0%
Average amount $5,586
Students receiving federal student loan 2.0%
Average amount $5,614
5.0%
Average amount $4,946
Students taking out private loans 0.0%
Average amount $7,202
0.0%
Average amount $0

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 4,951
Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
4,215
Men 39.1% Women 60.9%
Graduate students N/A N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 2.7% 2.6%
International students 3.7% 1.2%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large City: Small
Dormitory capacity 160 N/A
First year students are required to live on campus? No N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Washington Hawaii Oregon Alaska Arkansas Washington California Florida Hawaii Utah

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Liberal Arts
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Education
  • Physical Science
  • Liberal Arts
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Precision Production
  • Education
Students to faculty ratio 10:1 13:1
Institutional accreditation Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome

Graduation rate 35.8% 43.7%
Dropout rate 35.3% 34.0%
Transferred out 21.3% 15.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,653
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $69,747
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,154
  • Year 2: $40,438
  • Year 3: $40,844
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,948
  • Year 2: $28,960
  • Year 3: $40,192
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $31,974
  • Year 3: $35,459
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $23,445
  • Year 2: $22,455
  • Year 3: $28,898
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $48,849
  • Year 3: N/A
Legal Support Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: N/A
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $34,173
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $33,049
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: N/A
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,757
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: N/A
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: N/A

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