South Puget Sound Community College | Field Guide 2023

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Recognized as a top 10 best community college in the U.S. by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, SPSCC amplifies student success by offering transfer options to four-year institutions, professional and technical programs, and short-term degree and certificate programs so students can advance their career or education goals.

Key Facts

Highest Enrolled Programs

AA/AS Direct Transfer Degrees
Professional-Technical Programs
High School+
Cybersecurity & Network Administration
Basic Skills

Enrollment

Headcount (all sources): 7,595
FTES (all sources): 3,817
Headcount (state-funded): 5,268
FTES (state-funded): 2,585

Students in Selected Programs

I-BEST: 383
International: 84
Running Start: 1,369
Worker Retraining: 107

Student Profile

Type of Student

Academic/transfer: 53%
Basic skills: 9%
Workforce education: 23%
Other: 14%

Race/Ethnicity*

Students of color: 43%

American Indian/Alaska Native: 6%
Asian: 14%
Black/African American: 8%
Hispanic/Latino: 16%
Pacific Islander: 3%
White: 72%

Attendance

Full-time: 49%
Part-time: 51%

Family and Finances

Students receiving need-based financial aid: 33%
Students with dependents: 37%

Gender

Female: 62%
Male: 38%

Median age

Points of Interest

Supporting health care workforce education

In fall 2022, SPSCC opened the Dr. Angela J. Bowen Center for Health Education. The Bowen Center has become the new home for SPSCC’s Nursing and Medical Assisting programs where students have access to classrooms, computer labs, conference rooms, offices, lounges and a simulation lab funded by the Bruno and Evelyne Betti Foundation. Facilities like the Bowen Center have no doubt contributed to the 25% enrollment increase in SPSCC’s Nursing program, but also helps prepare students for a new career by building a strong foundation of skills and providing a direct pipeline into a specialized field.

Recognized by Aspen Institute

SPSCC has been recognized as one of the nation’s top 10 community colleges by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and is committed to providing equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. The A. Barbara Clarkson Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Center supports the college in advancing equity and embracing diversity through programs such as Black Scholars and IGNITE that offer mentorship, community and support services to students who are low income, students of color, students with a disability and students whose parents did not go to college.

Preparing for the technology of the future

Cybersecurity and Network Administration (CNA) is the fourth highest enrolled program at SPSCC and covers skills ranging from protecting small consumer computers to properly configuring mass networks. Students in the CNA program are passionately making a career out of keeping up with the rapidly-changing IT security and networking industry. SPSCC has applied to become a Center for Cybersecurity through the Center for Academic Excellence. If granted, this status could help give students working towards a CNA degree added credibility when they pursue internships and advanced education in the future.

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.