Olympic College | Field Guide 2023

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.

Key Facts

Highest Enrolled Programs

Associate in Arts Transfer Agreement
Industrial Trades Technician Apprenticeship Associate in Technical Arts
Industrial Trades Helper Certificate of Recognition
Associate in Technical Arts in Nursing
Pre-Nursing Direct Transfer Agreement/Major Related Program

Enrollment

Headcount (all sources): 8,143
FTES (all sources): 4,524
Headcount (state-funded): 7,272
FTES (state-funded): 3,580

Students in Selected Programs

Bachelor's: 152
Apprentices: 683
I-BEST: 837
International: 82
Running Start: 1,019
Worker Retraining: 665

Student Profile

Type of Student

Academic/transfer: 47%
Basic skills: 5%
Workforce education: 39%
Other: 9%

Race/Ethnicity*

Students of color: 38%

American Indian/Alaska Native: 5%
Asian: 14%
Black/African American: 7%
Hispanic/Latino: 13%
Pacific Islander: 3%
White: 78%

Attendance

Full-time: 57%
Part-time: 43%

Family and Finances

Students receiving need-based financial aid: 27%
Students with dependents: 33%

Gender

Female: 56%
Male: 44%

Median age

Points of Interest

Expanding Continuing & Community Education

Olympic College is increasing access to a wide selection of noncredit courses that can open doors to new careers and help workers expand skills and gain certifications in their fields. Under the leadership of newly hired director, Dr. Terry Cox, Olympic College is working with business leaders to identify opportunities to increase offerings that meet specific needs of industries in our area, such as aviation, construction, maritime, tech and more. In addition to industry specific training, the college will offer a variety of personal enrichment courses in subjects like art, dance, physical education, mountaineering, sustainability and much more.

Olympic College launches new website

On Nov. 9, 2022 Olympic College launched a fully redesigned website. The redesign includes the implementation of Guided Pathways, known as academic pathways at Olympic College. The new website makes it much easier for current and prospective students to identify and enter a pathway, and stay on their chosen pathway. The new Olympic.edu also simplifies admissions steps, making it easier for prospective students to enroll at the college. Request for Information buttons are strategically placed throughout the site, which allow the college to generate more prospects, leveraging chatbot, automated text and email messaging to reach more people.

New programs on the horizon

Our Division of Instruction is hard at work developing new programs that respond to the needs of our community and those we serve. Several new programs were approved this past academic year with others on the horizon. Approved programs include a Construction Trades certificate geared towards our Shelton Campus, Marine Electronics certificate program, and an Associate Controls Specialist Apprenticeship. These hands-on technical programs will help more people in our community land career-wage jobs.

Data is from the 2021-22 academic year. Reflects headcount unless otherwise noted.

*Students of color percent based on unduplicated headcount. Students may be counted in more than one race, so race/ethnicity percentages may not total 100%. Percentages calculated on reported value.