Olympic College Facts & Figures

District: Washington State Community College District #3
Nickname: The Rangers
Colors: Red and White
Motto: Cogita, Aspira, Aude, Perade (Think, Aspire, Dare, Achieve) 

Olympic College Overview

Founded in 1946, Olympic College is a public two-year community college that provides education to students in a wide range of ages – from high school to active older adults. The community college system is unique – it provides access to any students that want to attend and helps build important skills for the next phase of their life or career.

Olympic College has a strong reputation for quality and excellence. Highly qualified faculty and staff are committed to providing students with the best educational experience possible. About 25 percent of faculty hold doctorate degrees and all professional-technical faculty have industry experience. Faculty and staff have a variety of enhancement opportunities available to help them maintain high academic standards and professionalism.

The college district – made up of three campuses in Bremerton, Poulsbo and Shelton – serves a population of about 280,000 in Kitsap and Mason counties. In addition to its three college campuses, the institution offers courses at the Kitsap Emergency Readiness Center and Naval Base Kitsap – Bangor and Naval Hospital-Bremerton.

A new Humanities and Student Services building is under construction on the Bremerton campus and will replace an older building. The new space will create new classrooms, lecture halls, and bring all student services together in one location. The state legislature provided $39 million to the college for the construction of the structure in 2007. The new Sophia Bremer Child Development Center will centralize childcare services on the campus and will begin construction in 2009.

Student Programs

Students choose Olympic College to satisfy the first two years of a baccalaureate degree, take classes to prepare for employment, update job skills, and get retraining. In addition, classes are available that help students prepare for college-level studies. A bachelor of science in nursing degree started in Fall 2007. Enrichment classes, provided through Continuing Education, also offer numerous non-credit classes in a variety of areas of interest to the community.

Student Services

A number of student services such as counseling, advising, and financial aid and scholarships help individuals with their education at Olympic College. In addition, student programs and activities stimulate learning and development, leadership, and collaboration. A variety of services are available for students of color, veterans, and women. Access Services and adaptive technologies also provide support to students with disabilities.