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Largest community colleges in Washington

Community colleges in Washington ranked by total student enrollment, largest first. Bigger institutions generally offer broader program catalogs, more sections per term, more transfer agreements, and deeper student-services staffing — but smaller colleges often win on advisor attention, classroom intimacy, and faculty access.

  1. Bellevue CollegeBellevue, WA7,364
  2. Pierce College DistrictLakewood, WA5,313
  3. Green River CollegeAuburn, WA4,965
  4. Clark CollegeVancouver, WA4,945
  5. Everett Community CollegeEverett, WA4,709
  6. Tacoma Community CollegeTacoma, WA4,668
  7. Columbia Basin CollegePasco, WA4,640
  8. Spokane Community CollegeSpokane, WA4,533
  9. Seattle Central CollegeSeattle, WA3,953
  10. Highline CollegeDes Moines, WA3,838
  11. Olympic CollegeBremerton, WA3,826
  12. Edmonds CollegeLynnwood, WA3,656
  13. Spokane Falls Community CollegeSpokane, WA3,199
  14. South Puget Sound Community CollegeOlympia, WA3,075
  15. Shoreline Community CollegeShoreline, WA3,046
  16. Yakima Valley CollegeYakima, WA2,770
  17. Skagit Valley CollegeMount Vernon, WA2,477
  18. Walla Walla Community CollegeWalla Walla, WA2,418
  19. Whatcom Community CollegeBellingham, WA2,378
  20. Lower Columbia CollegeLongview, WA1,932
  21. Wenatchee Valley CollegeWenatchee, WA1,759
  22. Centralia CollegeCentralia, WA1,552
  23. Big Bend Community CollegeMoses Lake, WA1,272
  24. Cascadia CollegeBothell, WA1,032
  25. Grays Harbor CollegeAberdeen, WA1,010
  26. Northwest Indian CollegeBellingham, WA629
  27. Pacific Northwest Christian CollegeKennewick, WA129
  28. Northwest School of Wooden Boat BuildingPort Hadlock, WA50

Why size matters

Enrollment scale shapes nearly every aspect of the student experience at a community college. The largest Washington community colleges typically offer multiple sections of every general-education course, robust evening and weekend schedules for working students, full-service career centers and transfer advising offices, and deep portfolios of articulation agreements with four-year institutions across Washington and beyond. They also tend to operate multiple campuses or learning centers, which can put a community college within commuting distance of more residents.

Smaller community colleges in Washington compete on attention. Smaller cohorts mean a single academic advisor sees you across multiple semesters and can write a substantive recommendation when you transfer or apply for a job. Faculty teach more sections of fewer courses, which means the same instructor often guides you through a sequence rather than handing you off term to term. For students who thrive on relationship and continuity, the smaller institutions on this list can be the better choice even when the larger one offers more programs.

Use this list alongside the state's transfer-outcomes guide and the state's cost-and-aid guide. Together they let you triangulate fit on the three dimensions that matter most for community-college choice: program availability, total cost after aid, and how reliably the institution moves students on to the next step.