Shoreline Community College, officially Shoreline College, is a publiccommunity college in Shoreline, Washington. It is located in a residential area east of Shoreview Park. The college contains over 80 acres[1] and continuously serves 12,000 full- and part-time students. It opened in 1964[1] and offers Associate's degree and certificate programs as well as one Bachelor's degree program.
Some elements of SCC's architecture and landscaping are reminiscent of Japanese traditions. Note the high roof element and the rocks representing a stream as in a traditional Japanese garden.
Shoreline Community College was the brainchild of Ray W. Howard, superintendent of the Shoreline School District. He felt that Washington state's increasing host of high school graduates did not have adequate opportunities for higher education and "actively worked with other school districts in the area to convince legislators of the needs of 'non-traditional' students who could not, because of economic circumstances, attend the University of Washington or other four-year institutions."[1] In 1959 he brought forward the idea of a community college in Shoreline.[2]
Shoreline Community College started with evening classes in January 1964, accepting 806 student applications that would be taught at Shoreline High School which is now Shoreline Center.[2] Howard "retired as superintendent in 1963, and spent his last two years with the district planning and opening the new Shoreline Community College".[3]
"The Boeing family eventually donated approximately 83 acres on a wooded bluff to Shoreline Community College," and the site was cleared for construction in the early 1960s.[1] "In the fall of 1965, the new campus was ready for students."[2]
According to a study released in October 2013, Shoreline Community College is the best value for an associate degree in the state of Washington and among the best in the nation. As pointed out in the study, graduates are shown to earn $456,269 more in their lifetime than they would without the associate degree.[4]
In May 2025, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the institution to Shoreline College. As of October 2025, the college continues to use the name "Shoreline Community College" in public media until a rebrand is ready to be launched, planned for 2026.[5] Shoreline College is also set to graduate its first cohort of Bachelor's degree students in June 2026, who began the college's Bachelor of Applied Science program in dental hygiene in Summer 2024. [6]
Academics
Shoreline Community College offers several transfer degrees and more than 100 professional, technical, and workforce training degrees and certificates,[7] some short-term, others taking up to two years to complete.[8] Shoreline Community College has international students enrolled from 45 countries. Over 140 scholarships are awarded annually, as well as over $14.4 million in financial aid.
In 2006 Shoreline Community College was recognized as one of 27 colleges nationwide to offer NAFTC's alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) training and outreach center. The school's automotive program has received statewide recognition for its specialized program.[9]
Library
The library on campus was one of the first three buildings to be constructed when the college was founded.[1] In 1981 the library was named in honor of Ray W. Howard near the time of the founding superintendent's retirement.[10] It was remodeled in late 2016 and early 2017.
The Ray Howard Library has a print collection that includes nonfiction, reference, foreign language materials, an ESL collection, journals, magazines, and a small popular books section with some graphic novels.[11] While the print collection is supportive of Shoreline Community College's curriculum, the digital resources include academic and trade journals, magazine and newspaper articles, e-books, reference books, and streaming video.[12] The librarians teach workshops, consultations, and individual sessions to students and others who are learning the research process. Ray W. Howard participates in the online chat collaborative service, Ask WA which ensures that students have a way to ask questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.[13]
Controversy
Japanese-American community members criticised Shoreline Community College's original mascot, the Samurai, as culturally insensitive, with the chair of a committee dedicated to changing the mascot describing it as "basically rude". College spokesperson Mariko Kakiuchi shared that sentiment, stating, "It's definitely time for Shoreline to address the issue."[14] In November 1991 students voted to replace the mascot with the Dolphins, beating out the Sea Lions and the Tsunamis.[15]
Publications
The Ebbtide is SCC's student newspaper.
Spindrift is SCC's Arts and Literary Journal, released annually.
1000 Words is a quarterly publication released by f-stop, the Photography club at SCC.
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