Highline College

Since 1961, community members in South King County have counted on Highline College to meet their educational needs close to home. As the area has changed over the years, so have the college’s classes and programs. Today you will find comprehensive community college programs, more than 100 areas of study and five applied bachelor’s degrees.Highline College, which was the first community college in King County, also welcomes students from around the globe, with more than 800 international students studying at its main campus in Des Moines, just 20 minutes south of Seattle. Over 17,000 students attend Highline each year, making it one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. It is also the most diverse in the state, with more than 70 percent students of color.Highline’s commitment to diversity, social justice and multiculturalism earned the college awards and recognition. Highline received a prestigious Award of Excellence from the American Association of Community Colleges twice in the past three years. In 2016, the AACC recognized President Jack Bermingham and the college’s five-member Board of Trustees for their exemplary collaboration and working relationship, and in 2014, Highline was recognized as a leader among the nation’s community colleges for increasing diversity as well as educational and social justice equity. For four consecutive years (2013–2016), Highline received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. The Chronicle of Higher Education, a top news source for colleges and universities, named Highline College as one of the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For” in 2015, 2013 and 2010.