Facts at a Glance

About Us

A professor models a robot for the class.

About Bellevue College

  • Public
  • Community-based
  • Open-access
  • Coeducational
A student studies with a notebook and iPad.

Academic Calendar

  • Quarterly (summer, fall, winter, spring)
  • Academic year runs July through June
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Service District

  • Bellevue, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Skykomish and Snoqualmie Valley school districts
A student works with test tubes in a lab.

Accreditation

Soon-to-be Bellevue College alumni attend graduation ceremonies.

Award Levels

  • Bachelor’s degrees
  • Associate degrees
  • Certifications
  • High school completions
Bellevue College fountain.

Founding Fact

  • Bellevue College was founded in January 1966 under the name Bellevue Community College.

Students

Three students study together.

Eligibility

  • Any applicant who has graduated from high school, or
  • Is 16 or 17 years old with proof of GED completion, or
  • Is 18 years of age or older
Interior design students display presentations.

2023–24 Enrollment

  • Credit and continuing education students – 20,659
  • Students enrolled for credit – 19,781
  • Fall 2024 students for credit – 12,316
A student bicycles through campus with a guitar case.

Demographics

  • Average age of BC credit students is 26; median age is 21. 
  • 51% of students take 12 or more credits.
Two students walk past the BC Student Union.

International Enrollment

  • 938 international students (F-1 and J-1 visas) are enrolled in credit classes.
  • 55 different countries are represented.
The bike rack by BC's U Building spells out the word "success."

Enrollment By Country (Top Ten)

  1. Congo
  2. China
  3. Kyrgyzstan
  4. Vietnam
  5. South Korea
  1. Taiwan
  2. Japan
  3. Indonesia
  4. Brazil
  5. Myanmar
The horizon as seen from the Bellevue College campus.

Race/Ethnicity

American Indian or Alaskan Native<1%
Asian 28%
Black or African American6%
Latina, Latino, Latinx, or Hispanic13%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander <1%
White 38%
Two or more races8%
Undisclosed5%

Programs Of Study

A student works at a laptop.

Degree/ Certificate Programs

  • 15 Bachelor’s degrees
  • 9 Academic/ transfer associate degrees
  • 23 Professional/ technical degrees
  • 15 Baccalaureate certifications
  • 55 Associate certifications 
BC graduates proceed to receive their diplomas.

Academic Awards 2023-24

  • 309 Bachelor’s degrees
  • 272 Professional/ technical associate degrees
  • 1,136 Academic/ transfer associate degrees  
  • 257 Certifications 
  • 1,115 High school completions
Students review an EEG onscreen with a professor.

Highest-Enrolled Programs

  • Associate of Arts & Sciences (AAS) Direct Transfer Agreement
  • Associate of Arts (AA) in Business Direct Transfer Agreement
  • Associate of Arts (AA) in General Studies
  • Associate in Science – Transfer (AS-T) Track 1
  • Associate in Science – Transfer (AS-T) Track 2
Students work on projects in the classroom.

Bachelor’s Degrees

  • Business
  • Health Sciences
  • STEM
  • Technology and Data
  • Visual and Performing Arts
Students work in a computer lab.

Specialized Learning

  • Occupational & Life Skills (OLS) is an accredited associate degree program for adults with learning disabilities.
  • BC offers supportive learning communities that provide mentoring, advocacy, college guidance, preparation courses, and more. These cohort programs include Neurodiversity Navigators, Disabled Students Navigating STEM, Multicultural Services, Umoja, Puente, and TRiO.
A student smiles while in conversation.

Return on Investment (ROI)

  • No degree-granting college in Washington state has a better 10-year ROI than BC.
  • BC ties for 8th in the nation in 10-year ROI among public colleges offering 4-year degrees.
  • Median hourly wage of the Class of 2021 (prof/tech graduates with an associate degree): $33.80 per hour, which was the second highest in Washington state and 40% more than the statewide average.

Did You Know…

Students drum on campus.

Student Success 

  • 55% of students who started at Bellevue College in Fall 2020 graduated or transferred to a four-year institution within four years—substantially above the national average for similar colleges of 40%. 
Students attend class in the Carlson Theatre.

Average Class Size

  • Average class size is 21.5 students. 
A student works at a desktop computer.

High School Programs

  • 3,317 students are enrolled in the Running Start program.
  • 2,635 students earned college credit through the College in the High School program.

Please see our full “Facts at a Glance” digital booklet, which includes additional information about demographics, financial aid, and more.

Facts at a Glance [PDF]