Seattle Central College | Field Guide 2021

Since 1966, Seattle Central College has served students from Seattle and greater King County. As Seattle’s first community college, Seattle Central grew into a thriving center for higher education in the heart of Washington’s largest city. Since its founding, this college has been the epicenter of social activism, when Seattle’s African and Asian American communities fought for a comprehensive college. Seattle Central is an equity-focused college that makes higher education possible for underrepresented and underserved communities and actively works to close achievement gaps. Our perspective is global, with the nation’s sixth-largest community college international program teaching more than 1,000 students from around the world.

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Key Facts

Highest Enrolled Programs

Associate of Arts
Adult Basic Education/English as a Second Language
Associate of Science
Information technology
Allied Health
Nursing

Enrollment

Headcount (all sources): 14,772
FTES (all sources): 6,479
Headcount (state-funded): 9,461
FTES (state-funded): 4,583

Students in Selected Programs

Applied bachelor's: 256
Apprentices: 18
I-BEST: 431
International: 1,434
Running Start: 867
Worker Retraining: 417

Student Profile

Type of Student

Academic/transfer: 37%
Basic skills: 11%
Other: 10%
Workforce education: 42%

Race/Ethnicity*

American Indian/Alaska Native: 3%
Asian: 24%
Black/African American: 20%
Hispanic/Latino: 14%
Pacific Islander: 2%
Other race: 4%
White: 44%

Attendance

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

Family and Finances

Students receiving need-based financial aid: 38%
Students who work: 44%
Students with children: 17%

Gender

Female: 59%
Male: 41%

Median age

Points of Interest

New social justice emphasis in technical theatre

Intiman Theatre and Seattle Central College (SCC) have formed a partnership that will offer an associate degree program emphasis in Technical Theatre for Social Justice. The new program offers instruction in performance support such as stage lighting, audio engineering and scenic carpentry. Up to 40 students will be accepted per year, where they will work alongside union professionals on Intiman’s mainstage productions during their practicum lab. The program provides graduates a direct transfer to a four-year institution.

Academy for Rising Educators

Seattle Central College and Seattle Public Schools partnered in 2019 to create the Academy for Rising Educators, an Associate of Arts degree with a focus on education and social justice that prepares students to become teachers. The aim of the program is to increase the percentage of teachers of color in Washington state. Graduates will have the option to directly transfer into teaching programs at Seattle University and City University, and to work at Seattle Public Schools as teaching assistants.

Boat building program prepares students for specialized carpentry

The Boat Building and Repair program is one of four specialized carpentry programs offered by Seattle Central College. Classes are held at the state-of-the-art Wood Technology Center, a renovated facility in the Central District that opened in 2013. Students in the program can earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in boat building and repair. The program incorporates boatbuilding and repair techniques, along with a basic overview of marine mechanical systems. Before they get there, students must also master hand tools, power tools, fasteners and tool safety.

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.