Seattle Central College is a public institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Seattle, Washington. It enrolls 3,953 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorNorthwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Academic CalendarQuarter
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Open / Online), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
66/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes37
Value76
Affordability44
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Seattle Central College does not report an acceptance rate. Schools that do not publish one are usually open-admission, but confirm with the admissions office before you assume it.
Acceptance Rate
—
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $8,819 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$5,184
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$5,745
Room & Board (off-campus)
$19,041
Books & Supplies
$582
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,037
Total Cost of Attendance
$17,889
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$7,883
$30,001 – $48,000
$8,893
$48,001 – $75,000
$10,422
$75,001 – $110,000
$11,555
Over $110,000
$16,989
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$2,33410%percentile
$3,50025%percentile
$12,000Medianpercentile
$13,04275%percentile
$19,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $9,170
↓ $2,830
No Pell $8,605
↓ $3,395
Dependent students $5,500
↓ $6,500
Independent students $9,500
↓ $2,500
Female students $8,750
↓ $3,250
Male students $9,020
↓ $2,980
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,125, less than completers ($12,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
12% of students who start here finish within six years. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
12%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
—
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $43,307 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$43,307
Earning > $25K
64%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$35,300
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$39,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
What this means:
Solid return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$4.9 of median earnings 10 years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 3,953 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 44% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
3,953
Part-Time
38%
First-Generation
44%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 22.7%896
Black 15.3%604
Hispanic 14.9%590
Asian 14.3%564
International 9.9%392
Other 8.6%341
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Seattle Central College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Seattle Central College offers
a varied set of programs:
33 distinct programs across
12 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 18 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.
Student : Faculty
18:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$10,032
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$8.2M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$94,899
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
132 instructional faculty across 1 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
No Rank
132
100%
$94,899
Pros & Cons of Seattle Central College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Seattle Central College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
No graduate programs offered at this institution
Best for:
Based on the data, Seattle Central College is a fit for
families focused on keeping net cost low.
Frequently Asked Questions about Seattle Central College
The questions families ask most about Seattle Central College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
How much does Seattle Central College cost?
Budget around $8,819 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Seattle Central College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $43,307 a year against a net price of $8,819, about 4.9 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Seattle Central College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Nursing, IT Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Seattle Central College graduates earn?
About $43,307 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Seattle Central College accredited?
Yes. Seattle Central College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
How many students attend Seattle Central College?
3,953 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Seattle Central College?
12% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Seattle Central College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Seattle Central College located?
Seattle Central College is located in Seattle, Washington.
What programs does Seattle Central College offer?
33 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Nursing, IT Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Seattle Central College?
18 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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