Find out more about Pierce College

About Pierce College

Pierce College was founded in 1967 as Clover Park Community College. Classes were first held in an abandoned grocery store and throughout Pierce County. Later that year, Washington State Legislature passed the Community College Act, which shifted the control of the institution from the Pierce district to the state of Washington. The shift in power led to creating a new, 140-acre campus in Fort Steilacoom and a school name change to Fort Steilacoom Community College. Then in 1986, to represent a large number of students from Pierce County, the school’s name was changed to Pierce College. Pierce College operates with the mission to create quality educational opportunities for a diverse community of learners to thrive in an evolving world.

Pierce College is a public, not-for-profit, two-year institution that offers associate’s degrees and certificates. Within the Pierce College eLearning program, students can take fully online classes, hybrid classes, flexible independent student classes, and traditional face-to-face classes. These classes combine with web-based components to assist with homework and outside-of-class communication. Pierce College online degree programs are a flexible alternative to traditional in-class programs.