by our College Data Analytics TeamThis guide covers the real cost of attending Highline College, from the published cost of attendance and projected degree cost through to net price, median student debt at graduation, default outcomes, and how aid varies by family income.
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Cost of attendance at Highline College varied between $19,642.00 to $20,202.00 depending on residency and living arrangement.
Residency made the difference: in-state students paid the lower rate and out-of-state students the higher rate: close to $19,642.00 in-state, rising to $20,202.00 for non-residents.
The blocks below show what you would pay with no aid, with average aid, and as a low-income student.
| Tuition and fees | $4,772.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $14,870.00 |
| Total cost | $19,642.00 |
| That is 2% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $19,642.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,933.00 |
| Net price | $10,709.00 |
| That is 44% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $19,642.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$9,828.00 |
| Net price | $9,814.00 |
| That is 49% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $5,332.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $14,870.00 |
| Total cost | $20,202.00 |
| That is 5% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $20,202.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,933.00 |
| Net price | $11,269.00 |
| That is 41% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $20,202.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$9,828.00 |
| Net price | $10,374.00 |
| That is 46% below the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with the tuition & fees page and living costs. |
Published costs have climbed year over year at about 3.5% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. The projections below run a full degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and the full sticker price. Loan figures amortise the projected total over ten years at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Freshman year | $10,155.00 | $11,081.00 | $20,324.00 |
| Senior year | $11,250.00 | $12,276.00 | $22,517.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $42,786.00 | $46,688.00 | $85,633.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $16,300.00 | $17,786.00 | $32,623.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $492.00 | $537.00 | $985.00 |
| Total amount paid | $59,086.00 | $64,474.00 | $118,256.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Freshman year | $10,155.00 | $11,081.00 | $20,324.00 |
| Senior year | $10,508.00 | $11,466.00 | $21,030.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $20,663.00 | $22,547.00 | $41,355.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $7,872.00 | $8,590.00 | $15,755.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $238.00 | $259.00 | $476.00 |
| Total amount paid | $28,534.00 | $31,137.00 | $57,110.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Freshman year | $10,734.00 | $11,660.00 | $20,904.00 |
| Senior year | $11,892.00 | $12,918.00 | $23,159.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $45,227.00 | $49,129.00 | $88,074.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $17,230.00 | $18,716.00 | $33,553.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $520.00 | $565.00 | $1,014.00 |
| Total amount paid | $62,457.00 | $67,846.00 | $121,627.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Freshman year | $10,734.00 | $11,660.00 | $20,904.00 |
| Senior year | $11,107.00 | $12,066.00 | $21,630.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $21,842.00 | $23,726.00 | $42,534.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $8,321.00 | $9,039.00 | $16,204.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $251.00 | $273.00 | $489.00 |
| Total amount paid | $30,163.00 | $32,765.00 | $58,738.00 |
For the complete net-price picture, see the net-price section.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. For most prospective students, net price gives a more realistic estimate than sticker tuition.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $9,879.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $10,878.00 |
What families actually pay shifts with income, since need-based grants are larger for lower-income students. The figures below give average net price by income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $9,875.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $10,004.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $14,012.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $11,413.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $19,642.00 |
Use Highline College Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
For the grant-and-scholarship detail behind these figures, see the financial aid page.
Median graduate debt at Highline College comes to $6,113.00, categorized as a Very Low (<$10k) debt-burden category.
The percentile spread of debt at graduation is shown below:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $1,667.00 |
| 25th | $3,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $6,113.00 |
| 75th | $11,702.00 |
| 90th | $18,500.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,529.00 |
| Middle income | $5,218.00 |
| High income | $5,500.00 |
Low-income graduates carry $2,029.00 more debt than their high-income peers.
Whether your parents attended college is associated with differences in median debt at graduation.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,093.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,134.00 |
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant for undergraduates from low-income families. Contrasting Pell and non-Pell borrowers shows how need shapes debt.
The gap between Pell-eligible and non-Pell median debt at Highline College works out to $1,502.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The default-rate classification at Highline College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 10.2% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at Highline College reach $60,356,268.00 over 5,574 disbursements.
Veterans and current servicemembers may be eligible for major federal education benefits including the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance from the Department of Defense.
| GI Bill recipients | 79 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $3,093.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the college veterans page.
Beyond the data above, it helps to ask a few questions when weighing Highline College, consider the following:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.