Pierce College District Photo #0 - Students gather outside the Gaspard Building on the Puyallup Campus.

Pierce College District

9401 Farwest Dr SW
Lakewood, WA 98498
Top Ranked (2025): View Rankings
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Pierce College District Photo #1 - Students gather outside the Gaspard Building on the Puyallup Campus.
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Pierce College District Photo #1 - Students gather outside the Gaspard Building on the Puyallup Campus.
  • Pierce College Fort Steilacoom and Pierce College Puyallup are comprehensive, accredited, public two-year colleges. Our colleges offer outstanding programs for career development and transfer to four-year colleges, in beautiful settings, with excellent facilities and instructors.

School Highlights

Pierce College District serves 10,153 students (55% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 29:1 is higher than the state community college average of 15:1.
Minority enrollment is 56% of the student body (majority Hispanic and Black), which is equal to the state average of 56%.

Quick Stats (2025)

  • Enrollment: 10,153 students
  • In-state tuition: $3,777
  • Out-state tuition: $8,967
  • Student:teacher ratio: 29:1
  • Minority enrollment: 56%
  • Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Top Rankings

Pierce College District ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Washington for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size

School Overview

The teacher population of 353 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Pierce College District
(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
353 staff
353 staff
This chart displays total faculty of Pierce College District and community college average number of faculty in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.

Student Body

The student population of Pierce College District has grown by 63% over five years.
The student:teacher ratio of 29:1 has increased from 24:1 over five years.
The Pierce College District diversity score of 0.74 is less than the state average of 0.75. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Total Enrollment
10,153 students
4,711 students
This chart displays the total enrollment of Pierce College District and community college average number of enrollment of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio
29:1
15:1
This chart displays the student staff ratio of Pierce College District and community college average student staff ratio of Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
# Full-Time Students
5,591 students
2,028 students
This chart displays the total number of Full-time students enrollment of Pierce College District and average number of community college Full-time students enrollment of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
# Part-Time Students
4,562 students
3,179 students
This chart displays the total number of Part-time students enrollment of Pierce College District and average number of community college Part-time students enrollment of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
This chart displays the Full-time students and Part-time students enrollment breakdown of Pierce College District.
This chart displays community college average Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of Washington.
# Enrollment Undergraduate
101 students
494 students
# Full-Time Undergraduate Students
5,591 students
2,028 students
This chart displays the total number of Full-time undergraduate students enrollment of Pierce College District and average number of community college Full-time undergraduate  students enrollment of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
# Part-Time Undergraduate Students
4,562 students
3,179 students
Total Dormitory Capacity
60 students
140 students
This chart displays the dormitory capacity of Pierce College District and the community college average dormitory capacity of Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% American Indian/Alaskan
n/a
1%
This chart displays the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan students in Pierce College District and the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
% Asian
8%
10%
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in Pierce College District and the percentage of Asian community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hispanic
18%
17%
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in Pierce College District and the percentage of Hispanic community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Black
10%
7%
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in Pierce College District and the percentage of Black community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% White
44%
44%
This chart displays the percentage of White students in Pierce College District and the percentage of White community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hawaiian
2%
1%
This chart displays the percentage of Hawaiian students in Pierce College District and the percentage of Hawaiian community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
% Two or more races
12%
8%
This chart displays the percentage of Two or more races students in Pierce College District and the percentage of Two or more races community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Non Resident races
2%
3%
This chart displays the percentage of Non Resident students in Pierce College District and the percentage of Non Resident community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Unknown races
3%
9%
This chart displays the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Pierce College District.
This chart displays the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Washington.
Diversity Score
0.74
0.75
This chart displays the diversity score of Pierce College District and the community college average diversity score of Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in less than 4 years)
24%
30%
This chart displays completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of Pierce College District and community college average completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of Washington by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in 4 years or more than 4 years)
0.3818%
0.3584%
Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)
$37,900
$36,400
This chart displays average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Pierce College District and community college average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Washington by year, disaggregated by student subgroups with the latest 2012-13 school year data.

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

The public in-state tuition of $3,777 is less than the state average of $4,105. The in-state tuition has declined by 9% over four years.
The public out-state tuition of $8,967 is more than the state average of $7,359. The out-state tuition has grown by 93% over four years.
In-State Tuition Fees
$3,777
$4,105
This chart displays tuition fees for an in-state student of Pierce College District and the public community college average tuition fees for an in-state student of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
Out-State Tuition Fees
$8,967
$7,359
This chart displays tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Pierce College District and the public community college average tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid
39%
58%
This chart displays the percent of students who is receiving some financial aid in Pierce College District and the percent of community college students who is receiving some financial aid in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Median Debt for Graduates
$13,296
$11,794
This chart displays median debt for students who have completed a certificate or degree in Pierce College District and average median debt for community college students who have completed a certificate or degree in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Median Debt for Dropouts
$7,000
$6,192
This chart displays median debt for students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Pierce College District and average median debt for community college students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Acceptance Rate
n/a
99%
Source: 2024 (or latest year available) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

School Notes

  • Pierce College District 11 is two community colleges and an extended learning program in Pierce County, Washington state. Pierce is one of the largest educational providers in the state, and is nationally ranked in degrees conferred. Our programs include transfer courses parallel to the first two years of university and four-year college work, vocational degree and certificate programs for training or retraining in a variety of job fields, developmental, basic skills and high school completion courses, personal and professional development through continuing education courses and traditional and non-traditional learning opportunities. Pierce College's rise to prominence in Washington's higher education system began humbly. It opened in 1967 as Clover Park Community College, and its administrative offices and library were housed in an abandoned grocery store. A local school district operated the college, and instructors held classes throughout Pierce County at area high schools, military bases and hospitals. In its first year of operation, the college became part of the statewide community college system. With support of the state legislature, which passed the Community College Act of 1967, a permanent campus was chosen. The site, 140 acres in the historic Fort Steilacoom area of Lakewood, led to a new name: Fort Steilacoom Community College. With a strong reputation for solid, affordable educational programs, the college continued to grow rapidly. A major addition and remodeling of the Fort Steilacoom campus were complete in 1987. At the same time, an 85-acre site in Puyallup was purchased to become the permanent home of the Puyallup campus. Officials broke ground for the first building in 1989 and at the start of fall quarter 1990 held the facility's grand opening. A second building was opened in Puyallup in the Fall of 1996. Pierce College offers a variety of associate degrees for university transfer, Associate in Technology degrees for professional/technical training in a wide range of career fields, and professional/technical certificates for entry-level employment preparation. Pierce College is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. It is part of the state system of public community and technical colleges.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Pierce College District cost?
Pierce College District's tuition is approximately $3,777 for In-State students and $8,967 for Out-State students.
What schools are Pierce College District often compared to?
Pierce College Districtis often viewed alongside schools like Tacoma Community College by visitors of our site.
What is Pierce College District's ranking?
Pierce College District ranks among the top 20% of community college in Washington for: Largest student body.

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • Enrollment: 10,153 students
  • In-state tuition: $3,777
  • Out-state tuition: $8,967
  • Student:teacher ratio: 29:1
  • Minority enrollment: 56%
  • Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Related School Videos

Did You Know?

Pierce County, WA community colleges have a diversity score of 0.70, which is higher than the national average of 0.00. The most diverse community college in Pierce County, WA is Tacoma Community College. Read more about community college diversity statistics in the USA.

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