Tacoma Community College vs Highline College

Tacoma Community College and Highline College, both esteemed institutions in the Pacific Northwest, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. Tacoma Community College, nestled in the vibrant city of Tacoma, boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming students from all backgrounds to pursue their academic aspirations. Highline College, located in the scenic Des Moines area, offers a slightly more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 98%. While Tacoma Community College excels in programs like Liberal Arts and Humanities, Highline College shines in fields such as Business, Management, and Marketing. Both colleges cater to a diverse student body, with Tacoma Community College having a higher percentage of female students and Highline College having a slightly larger international student population. When it comes to graduation rates, Tacoma Community College holds a slight edge over Highline College, with a 28% completion rate compared to 26%. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison
Highline College logo

Highline College

Tacoma Community College logo

Tacoma Community College

Overview

Location Des Moines, Washington Tacoma, Washington
Campus setting Suburb: Large City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Quarter Quarter
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate
Common app member No No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate Open Admission Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range N/A N/A
ACT range N/A N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT) Not required Not required
High school GPA N/A N/A
Recommendation letters N/A N/A
High school transcript N/A N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) N/A N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $20,334

Out of state: $20,803
In state: $20,046

Out of state: $25,508
Average net price $9,882 $8,606
Tuition $3,445
In state: $4,486

Out of state: $9,948
Room & board
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

35.0%
Average amount $5,583
37.0%
Average amount $5,638
Students receiving federal student loan 2.0%
Average amount $5,614
11.0%
Average amount $5,782
Students taking out private loans 0.0%
Average amount $7,202
0.0%
Average amount $14,105

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 4,951
Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
5,359
Men 35.1% Women 64.9%
Graduate students N/A N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 2.7% 4.8%
International students 3.7% 2.4%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 160 N/A
First year students are required to live on campus? No N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Washington Hawaii Oregon Alaska Arkansas Washington Alaska California Oregon Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Liberal Arts
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Education
  • Physical Science
  • Liberal Arts
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio 10:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome

Graduation rate 35.8% 37.3%
Dropout rate 35.3% 35.0%
Transferred out 21.3% 21.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,653
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $69,747
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,154
  • Year 2: $40,438
  • Year 3: $40,844
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,948
  • Year 2: $28,960
  • Year 3: $40,192
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $31,974
  • Year 3: $35,459
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,226
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $68,559
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,968
  • Year 2: $48,823
  • Year 3: $58,024
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,538
  • Year 2: $61,814
  • Year 3: $57,956
Legal Support Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $37,932
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,924
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: $36,155
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $20,824
  • Year 3: $30,765
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $28,998
  • Year 2: $24,615
  • Year 3: $30,603
Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $32,954
  • Year 2: $31,848
  • Year 3: $29,660
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $34,003
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Human Services, General (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $28,611
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A

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