Vaccine Clinic Appointments—IMPORTANT! Please direct all inquiries and appointments to the Whatcom County Health department. Below are the contacts to make appointments:
Bellingham Technical College provides student-centered, high-quality professional technical education for today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities. With over 39 degrees and 55 certificates, there are a variety of careers and programs to choose from.
We understand that attending college is a big decision and we're excited to work alongside you to help you achieve your goals. This Explore Your Pathway page is to assist you with learning the basics about college, how to explore BTC’s programs, and providing you the information you need to begin at BTC. Be sure to check the bolded terms below in the glossary of terms.
Bellingham Technical College is an open-admission institution, so every student is generally accepted to BTC when the application is completed! When determining the degree or certificate you would like to study at BTC, you will want to explore the program page and the program’s entry tab for further information.
Each BTC program will have minimum entry requirements students must complete to be eligible to register for program classes. Some programs only require minimum assessment or test scores to be met, while some programs have required prerequisite classes. If a program has prerequisite classes, you will be considered an Early Program student when you are completing the prerequisite classes. To determine if you met the program’s entry requirements, you will need to complete step two in the admissions process, assessing your starting point.
When exploring the program page, you will want to find when the program classes start. Some programs are set up in a cohort model, which means they start first quarter classes during specific quarters throughout the school year. For example, our Process Technology program admits new students into the program each Fall and Winter quarter, the Pastry Arts program only admits new students once a year in Fall quarter, and our Engineering AAS programs admit new students quarterly. Be sure to plan ahead and view the academic calendar below to view dates for new student registration and quarter starts.
A program may require general education classes, these classes can be taken any quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) and can be taken before your program classes start or they can be incorporated into your program class schedule.
Not sure where your interests lie? Take the Holland Codes Career Exploration Quiz and find out! Choosing a career, college major, or training program that matches your personality and interests is more likely to lead to career satisfaction and success.
After you take the Holland Codes Career Exploration Quiz, if you still need assistance choosing a program you can set up a Career Exploration appointment with an academic advisor or navigator. Academic advisors help you clarify goals, interests, and values to plan for a rewarding career. Academic advisors and navigators work with students in all stages of the career planning process, from developing career goals to gaining the interviewing skills needed to land your dream job. Call Admissions & Advising at 360.752.8345 to schedule a Career Exploration appointment.
Now that you decided on your program, you are ready to start the Admissions Steps. Follow the four simple admissions steps to begin your next chapter at BTC.
It is recommended that you complete admissions steps one, two and three before new student registration opens for your intended quarter start date. Find the new student registration and quarter start dates on the academic calendar below. You can still complete the admission steps and register for classes after new student registration opens, but many classes are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
While you are beginning the admission steps, it is recommended to be simultaneously completing the funding steps too. View more information about tuition & fees, program cost estimates, funding resources and more on the Paying for College page.
As a technical college, we focus on hands-on learning. In addition to tuition and fees, programs may have additional costs such as supplies, tools, clothing, textbooks, etc., that are required. View the estimated materials and textbook costs on the program page.
Our Outreach staff work with prospective students, parents, high school guidance counselors and community partners to help connect people with the educational opportunities at BTC. We can participate in college fairs, career days, college visits and offer general or specific presentations, we can organize a campus event, or connect you with other BTC faculty and staff. Let us know how we can partner with you!
Group tours and campus visits for 7 or more people require a reservation. Please contact us at least two weeks in advance in order to ensure appropriate staffing for your group. We may also be able to provide other prospective student related services, upon request.
For groups less than 7 people, please visit the Calendar page to see weekly scheduled campus tours and to sign up. Don’t see a time that works for you? Contact the Outreach team and we will try to accommodate your schedule!
Members of the Outreach staff regularly visit local high schools throughout the school year. We can also arrange special visits. Examples of events that our staff attend include:
Send us an email at outreach@btc.edu or call us at 360.752.8345. While our office is currently closed to the public, we’re here to assist you virtually!