10-yr median earnings
$47,168
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma Community College
Tacoma Community College is a public institution in Tacoma, Washington. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $8,376
- Avg net price / yr
- $47,168
- 10-yr median earnings
- 32.1%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Tacoma Community College posts above-median former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 34%
- former-student earnings, US
- 32.1%
- 150%-time completion
- +22%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: Bacc/Assoc's
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Tacoma Community College profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges: Associate's Dominant"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C-
College Value Score
53/100
Tacoma Community College
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C+
$47,168
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price A-
$8,376
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
32.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt C-
$13,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment D
56.5%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention N/A
N/A
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$8,376
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
32.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 32.1%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Tacoma Community College vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Tacoma Community College ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Tacoma Community College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$47,168 Top 34% higher than 66% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Tacoma Community College | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $47,168 | #1741 of 5103 | 66th |
| Average net price | $8,376 | #844 of 5020 | 83rd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 32.1% | #4156 of 4858 | 14th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,668 | #790 of 5462 | 86th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
4,668
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
32.1%
150%-time completion
$47,168
10-yr median earnings
-
First-year retention
How Tacoma Community College ranks in Washington
State rank among 87 reporting Washington colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Tacoma Community College | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $47,168 | #47 of 87 | 46th |
| Average net price | $8,376 | #15 of 83 | 82nd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 32.1% | #68 of 78 | 13th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,668 | #13 of 88 | 85th |
Highest former-student earnings in Washington
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DigiPen Institute of Technology | $79,878 | $44,446 |
| 2 | Gonzaga University | $78,892 | $35,119 |
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $78,466 | $14,091 |
| 4 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | $78,466 | $12,319 |
| 5 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | $78,466 | $10,163 |
| 6 | Seattle University | $75,272 | $34,662 |
| 7 | University of Puget Sound | $69,594 | $38,394 |
| 8 | City University of Seattle | $69,460 | - |
| 9 | Washington State University | $68,905 | $14,971 |
| 10 | Washington State University-Vancouver | $68,905 | - |
| 11 | Washington State University-Spokane | $68,905 | - |
| 12 | Washington State University-Tri Cities | $68,905 | - |
| 47 | Tacoma Community CollegeThis school | $47,168 | $8,376 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Tacoma Community College
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$7,112 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$7,691 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$8,108 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$16,093 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Tacoma Community College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $5,507 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $11,646 |
| Average Net Price | $8,376 |
25.8%
Pell Grant Rate
12.0%
Federal Loan Rate
$13,000
Median Debt
$138/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Tacoma Community College rose +58.1% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $5,896 in 2013 to $9,321 in 2023, a rise of $3,425 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $5,8962023 · $9,321
Over the same years, enrollment went -19.3% (5,262 → 4,248 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
64.3%
Female
45.1%
First Generation
Outcomes
$38,790
Median Earnings (6yr)
55.8%
Earning Over $25K
56.5%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 32.1% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $38,790 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $47,168 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 55.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 56.5% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $13,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $138/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate's | 12 | 939 | $63,444 | $92,844 | $13,125 |
| Certificate | 4 | 308 | $48,264 | $50,865 | $8,617 |
Top programs at Tacoma Community College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$92,844 median earnings
- Allied Health Diagnostic, …
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
$81,859 median earnings
- Allied Health and Medical …
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
$76,531 median earnings
- Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
$74,727 median earnings
- Business/Commerce, General
Business/Commerce, General
$65,130 median earnings
- Computer Systems Networkin…
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
$58,588 median earnings
- Legal Support Services
Legal Support Services
$53,304 median earnings
- Human Services, General
Human Services, General
$53,029 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Tacoma Community College? ▼
Tacoma Community College is a public institution in Tacoma, Washington. Undergraduate enrollment is 4,668 students.
How much do Tacoma Community College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Tacoma Community College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $47,168 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $38,790.
How much does Tacoma Community College cost? ▼
The average net price at Tacoma Community College is $8,376. In-state tuition is $5,507 and out-of-state tuition is $11,646. Median student debt at graduation is $13,000.
What is the graduation rate at Tacoma Community College? ▼
Tacoma Community College has a 32.1% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program).
Is Tacoma Community College worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Tacoma Community College is $13,000, while former students earn a median of $47,168 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 28% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 56.5% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $138.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Tacoma Community College
- Compare Tacoma Community College against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Washington side by side.Browse Washington
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.