BaccalaureatePublic

Highline College

Des Moines, Washington·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·highline.edu
6-yr Graduation
35%
Total enrollment
5,592
peer median 5,581
Avg net price
$10,878
+$2.8k vs Baccalaureate
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Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
35%

Pell equity

21.0pp gap
Pell recipients
29%
Non-Pell
50%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 21.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 67 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 64 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
67
Passing
3
4.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

67programs
  • Passing3 · 4.5%
  • No Data64 · 95.5%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
3
No data
64

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

3
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+40.4%
$54,874 vs $39,073
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+71.3%
$66,918 vs $39,073
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+153.4%
$98,992 vs $39,073

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

2
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
13%
$12,700 debt · $98,992 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
12%
$6,714 debt · $54,874 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Accredited since 1965Next review Oct 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 5

  1. Jul 2024Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  2. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  3. Mar 2022Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  4. Feb 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  5. Oct 2013Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$9,875
$30–48k$10,004
$48–75k$14,012
$75–110k$11,413
$110k+$19,642

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$10,878
+$2,825vs Baccalaureate median $8,053
Federal loans
1.8%
In-state tuition
$4,623
Out-of-state
$5,156

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,745 students received $8.2M in Pell grants, alongside $1.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,745
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.2M
$8,226,004 total
Direct Loans
$1.2M
340 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$509K
166 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$688K
174 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 255 borrowers who entered repayment, 8 (3.1%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.1%
+0.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
255
Defaulted
8
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
11.8%
2017
9.1%
2018
7.0%
2019
3.1%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Highline College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs62
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

851 total completions
01Liberal Arts
39346.2%
02Health Professions
15418.1%
03Business
11713.7%
04Computer Sciences
526.1%
05Education
384.5%
06Physical Sciences
333.9%
07Visual/Performing Arts
273.2%
08Public Admin
161.9%
09Biological Sciences
131.5%
10Legal Professions
80.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
5,592
12-mo unduplicated
7,560
Undergraduate
7,560
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
36%2,750
Women
64%4,810

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
19.8%
Black
19.2%
White
18.2%
Asian
16.7%
Unknown
10.4%
Non-resident
7.1%
Two or more
7.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
95
44 M · 51 W
Women athletes
53.7%
Athletic aid
$162K
Total student aid
Budget
$729K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$62K
$100K
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$8K
$8K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 6

Basketball
15 M · 13 W
$125K
Soccer
25 M ·
$67K
Volleyball
· 17 W
$81K
Softball
· 11 W
$51K
Golf
4 M · 4 W
$78K
Tennis
· 6 W
$38K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.78
13 offenses · 4,684 students

3-year trend

0.862 yrs ago2.831 yr ago2.78Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
32
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
6
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
11
Burglary
2

By location

13total
  • On campus12
  • Public property1

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
2
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs01
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
13.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
149

Highline College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Highline College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectHighline College
35%5,592$10,878Baccalaureate
South Seattle College
5,210$6,802Baccalaureate
Olympic College
5,784$7,755Baccalaureate
North Seattle College
5,569$8,351Baccalaureate
Seattle Central College
5,396$6,329Baccalaureate
Tacoma Community College
6,199$9,321Baccalaureate
Peer group median35%5,581$8,053

Frequently asked questions about Highline College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Highline College.

What is the graduation rate at Highline College?

Highline College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 35% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Highline College?

Highline College reports a total enrollment of 5,592 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Highline College?

The average net price at Highline College is $10,878 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Highline College located?

Highline College is located in Des Moines, Washington 98198-9800.

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