Olympic College | Field Guide 2021

At Olympic College, we move mountains. Our students are high achievers who graduate from our programs and go on to become community leaders. Our diversity and social justice graduation requirement prepares these students to lead responsibly with critical skills for examining topics such as race, class, gender, sexuality, ability and sustainability.

With cutting-edge programs and facilities, our students learn in a world-class environment. Employees of Olympic College are hyper-focused on students and their success, which is at the heart of all that we do. We welcome students from all walks of life to reach new heights at Olympic College.

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Key Facts

Highest Enrolled Programs

Associate Degree Transfer
Nursing
ATA: Industrial Trade Technician/Apprentice
Certificate of Completion: Industrial Trade Technician
Computer Information Systems

Enrollment

Headcount (all sources): 10,452
FTES (all sources): 5,468
Headcount (state-funded): 9,284
FTES (state-funded): 4,437

Students in Selected Programs

Applied bachelor's: 147
Apprentices: 931
I-BEST: 477
International: 142
Running Start: 1,185
Worker Retraining: 882

Student Profile

Type of Student

Academic/transfer: 38%
Basic skills: 5%
Other: 4%
Workforce education: 53%

Race/Ethnicity*

American Indian/Alaska Native: 4%
Asian: 13%
Black/African American: 6%
Hispanic/Latino: 12%
Pacific Islander: 3%
Other race: 2%
White: 75%

Attendance

Full-time: 54%
Part-time: 46%

Family and Finances

Students receiving need-based financial aid: 32%
Students who work: 47%
Students with children: 22%

Gender

Female: 54%
Male: 46%

Median age

Points of Interest

Instruction and services move online in response to COVID-19

Like most colleges in Washington state and many throughout the country, Olympic College moved the majority of its instructional programs and services online in response to COVID-19. The college converted hundreds of courses for online delivery, while Student Services created virtual Zoom lobbies for departments across the board. IT scaled up the availability of devices for check-out to students and employees, while strengthening Wi-Fi signals in parking lots. Custodial services rose to the challenge by increasing the frequency of cleaning high-traffic areas for those programs that remained in-person. As a result, Olympic College was able to continue serving the community without interruption.

Nursing students partner with community to combat pandemic

Students from Olympic College nursing programs are collaborating with Kitsap Public Health District and Kitsap County Emergency Operations Center to support access to and resources for COVID-19 testing, flu shots at local food banks, and contact tracing in our community. Nursing students are conducting contact tracing, which allows them to earn hours toward their clinical requirements, while helping to identify community members who may have been exposed to COVID-19. The college is also partnering to provide drive-through COVID-19 testing at our Bremerton and Poulsbo campuses. Nursing students are helping staff the drive-through testing locations at Olympic College.

Olympic College supports the workforce during COVID-19 with strategic in-person instruction

While most instruction and services moved online due to COVID-19, Olympic College also had the daunting task of continuing to offer in-person instruction in programs that are vital to the workforce. With one of the larger nursing programs in the state, it was critical that students who were on track to graduate were able to do so. The largest employer in Kitsap County — Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility — has an ongoing need for skilled workers in fields like welding and precision machining, as do other employers. The college has successfully and safely offered in-person instruction allowing these skilled workers to stay on track in their programs.

Data is from the 2019-20 academic year. Reflects headcount unless otherwise noted.

*May not add up to 100% because students may be counted in more than one race. Percentages calculated on reported value.