Bellingham Technical College
Top Ranked (2022): View Rankings
Tel:
(360) 752-7000
- Preparing an educated workforce is central to the mission of Bellingham Technical College. Today's workforce requires complex technical competencies as well as academic skills, positive work attitudes and habits, effective human relations, leadership, problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork skills.
School Highlights
Bellingham Technical College serves 2,325 students (60% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 10:1 is lower than the state community college average of 13:1.
Minority enrollment is 39% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the state average of 53%.
Top Rankings
Bellingham Technical College ranks among the top 20% of community colleges in Washington for:
- Category Attribute
- Student Earnings Highest graduate earnings (10 years post graduation)
- Completion Rates Highest completion rates
School Overview
The teacher population of 233 teachers has grown by 73% over five years.
| Bellingham Technical College | (WA) Community College Avg. | |
| Carnegie Classification | Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges: Associate's Dominant | Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges: Associate's Dominant |
| Institution Level | Four or more years | Four or more years |
| Institution Control | Public | Public |
| Total Faculty | 233 staff | 353 staff |
| School Calendar | Link to School Calendar | |
Source: 2020 (or latest year available) IPEDS
School Notes
- The role and mission of Bellingham Technical College has its roots in vocational education in the Bellingham School District (BSD). The first 'Industrial School' was planned and constructed in 1911 by the BSD. This school evolved into a manual-training section of Whatcom High School. With the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, courses in automotive mechanics and machine shop were offered at Fairhaven High School. Planning for the present program began in 1952 when it was realized that vocational programs offered by the local school district were not meeting the needs of the community. As a result of assessments of community vocational education needs by advisory committees from labor and management, Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute was established on its present 21-acre site at 3028 Lindbergh Avenue in 1957. The college offers Degree/Certificate programs and courses in Business, Computer Technology and Management, Culinary Arts, Engineering, Manufacturing & Industrial Technology, Fisheries & Aquaculture, Transportation & Mechanical and Health Sciences & Human Services. The degree & certificate programs at Bellingham Technical College rely on the involvement and support of over 300 business and industry employers and employees from the community. Bellingham Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. The Commission is an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. Bellingham Technical College is located in the scenic Pacific Northwest, about 90 miles north of Seattle, 60 miles south of Vancouver, BC and just a mile northwest of downtown Bellingham.
Nearby Schools
The nearest community college to Bellingham Technical College is Whatcom Community College (2.2 miles away).
- College Location Mi. Students
- 4,152 students | 2.20 Mi237 W Kellogg Rd
Bellingham, WA 98226
(360) 383-3000 2.204,152 - Skagit Valley CollegePublic5,085 students | 24.50 Mi2405 E. College Way
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
(360) 416-7600 24.505,085 - 7,977 students | 54.50 Mi2000 Tower Street
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 388-9100 54.507,977 - Peninsula CollegePublic1,966 students | 61.70 Mi1502 E Lauridsen Blvd
Port Angeles, WA 98362
(360) 452-9277 61.701,966 - 7,877 students | 66.10 Mi20000 68th Ave W
Lynnwood, WA 98036
(425) 640-1459 66.107,877
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