Spokane Community College | Field Guide 2023

Spokane Community College, part of Community Colleges of Spokane, is one of the largest colleges in the Washington state community and technical college system. SCC is a leading provider of nursing and allied health care professionals in our community and provides highly skilled manufacturing, technology and career training programs. SCC also has one of the largest apprenticeship programs in the state. The college's strong transfer programs equip graduates for success as they transfer to four-year colleges. Adult education programs like High School+ and English as a Second Language are also a major part of the college's offerings.

Key Facts

Highest Enrolled Programs

Associate in Arts DTA*
Laborers Apprenticeship
English as a Second Language
Associate in Nursing DTA/MRP**
High School Equivalent/GED®

*Direct Transfer Agreement
**Major Related Program

Enrollment

Headcount (all sources): 13,319
FTES (all sources): 6,129
Headcount (state-funded): 11,314
FTES (state-funded): 5,302

Students in Selected Programs

Applied bachelor's: 53
Apprentices: 1,998
Corrections: 461
I-BEST: 544
International: 61
Running Start: 711
Worker Retraining: 495

Student Profile

Type of Student

Academic/transfer: 21%
Basic skills: 17%
Workforce education: 41%
Other: 21%

Race/Ethnicity*

Students of color: 30%

American Indian/Alaska Native: 5%
Asian: 7%
Black/African American: 7%
Hispanic/Latino: 12%
Pacific Islander: 2%
White: 81%

Attendance

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

Family and Finances

Students receiving need-based financial aid: 54%
Students with dependents: 18%

Gender

Female: 58%
Male: 42%

Median age

Points of Interest

Apprenticeship program trains workers in high-demand fields

Spokane Community College (SCC) partners with industry and provides apprenticeship programs in 22 different fields. Students are paid apprentices while earning their journeyman status. The college also partners with the Eastern Washington Apprenticeship Coordinators Council (EWACC) on a number of outreach events, including Pizza, Pop and Power Tools, which has served more than 3,000 eighth grade girls since it began in 2003. SCC’s pre-apprenticeship program — Skills Trade Preparation (STP) — is an 11-week course that gives students, particularly women and minorities, the basic skills and knowledge to successfully apply for an apprenticeship.

Running Start for Careers

SCC’s Running Start for Careers (RS4C) program is an innovative and unique approach to the Running Start program because it allows high school students to pursue a professional-technical career program while completing their high school diploma. Students who are committed to a career in a professional-technical field have 21 programs to choose from when they become a high school junior. This allows students to attend college tuition free and enter the workforce early. Additional costs for the student are supported through scholarship opportunities and special funding efforts.

Smart Start (I-BEST) programs accelerate learning success

SCC offers the largest Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program in the state. Referred to as “Smart Start” at SCC these programs train students for in-demand professions while they learn basic skills in reading, writing, math or English language. Each program is designed around the needs of the students and often targets areas where the additional support is most effective. English as a Second Language (ESL) students get a quick on-ramp into Smart Start by learning content-specific skills before entering a Smart Start program. This sets the students up for success in Smart Start and puts them on the path to high-wage, high-demand careers sooner.

Data is from the 2020-21 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.