
Big Bend Community College (BBCC) was founded in 1962 to provide postsecondary education in central Washington. Its development as a public community college helps explain its present mix of university-transfer courses, career training, basic education, and programs for students still in high school.
The college serves Moses Lake and the surrounding region. Rather than functioning primarily as a residential four-year institution, BBCC has developed around several routes into and through college: students can pursue a transfer degree, train for a specific occupation, improve foundational skills, or return for additional education later in life. Its aviation programs are a distinctive part of that academic mix.
BBCC organizes its academics around transfer education, professional and technical training, and foundational learning, rather than a set of graduate schools. Students can pursue associate degrees and certificates, as well as selected applied bachelor's-level study.
Transfer-oriented coursework spans subjects such as English, mathematics, science, social science, and business. Career-focused options include fields such as aviation, nursing, agriculture, welding, and other technical or workforce programs. The college also offers adult education and English-language learning. These paths have different purposes: a transfer degree is designed with further study in mind, while a technical certificate may be organized around entry into a particular occupation.
Students considering a regulated profession should check the current program catalog for prerequisites, clinical or flight requirements, additional expenses, and any approval or licensing rules. Admission to BBCC itself does not necessarily secure a place in a capacity-limited program.
BBCC is located in Moses Lake, Washington, in Grant County. Its setting is a regional community-college environment rather than a large metropolitan campus, and commuting is central to the student experience.
Students should consider how they will travel between home, classes, work, and any off-site training placement. First-year students may park a car on campus. Grant County International Airport is nearby and is relevant to the area's aviation activity, but students planning ordinary passenger travel should check current routes rather than assume it provides the same connections as a major commercial airport.
BBCC's stated educational purpose centers on access to learning, student success, and service to its regional community. Its range of transfer, workforce, and basic-skills programs reflects that public community-college mission.
In practical terms, the college aims to serve people with different starting points: recent high school graduates, students preparing to transfer, adults changing careers, and learners building academic or English-language skills. Those are institutional priorities, not evidence that every student will have the same outcome. Applicants can evaluate how well a specific program fits their goals by comparing its curriculum, scheduling, support services, and completion requirements.
Name of the institution
Big Bend Community CollegeLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PublicSetting type
Town: RemoteInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, not primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
1,000 - 4,999School type
Four-year collegeMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
QuartersFoundation year
1962Big Bend Community College is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Certificate of less than 1 year
Certificate of at least 1 year, but less than 2 years
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degreeData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.