Is Lower Columbia or Olympic cheaper?

On published price, Olympic is cheaper — about $20,240 a year out of state in tuition and housing, against $23,501 at Lower Columbia. That is sticker price; athletic, academic and need-based aid all come off it, so ask both coaches what an actual offer would look like.

Which school graduates more of its students, Lower Columbia or Olympic?

Olympic, at 34% against 25% at Lower Columbia (IPEDS, 2023-24). That is the whole student body, not the softball roster.

How do I contact the coaches at Lower Columbia and Olympic?

Olympic runs a recruiting questionnaire — submit it first, since questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules. For Lower Columbia, we do not hold a verified form link, so start from the program page and email the staff directly.

Lower Columbia vs Olympic: Softball Program Comparison

Two JUCO programs in the NWAC. Olympic runs $3,261 less per year out of state; Olympic graduates 9 points more of its students.

JUCO

Lower Columbia

NWAC

Longview, WA

JUCO

Olympic

NWAC

Bremerton, WA

Which one is right for you?

Neither school is better in the abstract — they are better for different athletes. These are the differences big enough to actually decide on.

Lean Lower Columbia if…

You want to leave with less owed: median debt at Lower Columbia is $1,494 lower than at Olympic.

Lean Olympic if…

You are an out-of-state recruit and the number on the bill matters: Olympic lists $3,261 less per year in tuition and housing than Lower Columbia.
You would be in-state: Olympic is $149 cheaper per year on published in-state tuition than Lower Columbia.
Finishing the degree is the priority: Olympic graduates 9 percentage points more of its students than Lower Columbia.
You are weighing the degree as an investment: Olympic graduates earn about $2,478 more per year a decade after enrolling.

What it costs to go there

Published sticker price from IPEDS. Almost nobody pays it — athletic, academic and need-based aid all come off the top — but the gap between two schools is a fair read on the gap between two offers.

What it costs to go there: Lower Columbia compared with Olympic
Measure	Lower Columbia	Olympic
In-state tuition & fees	$4,346	$4,197 — Olympic leads on this measure: lower published in-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition & fees	$5,633 — Lower Columbia leads on this measure: lower published out-of-state tuition	$9,740
Room & board	$17,868	$10,500 — Olympic leads on this measure: lower room & board
Est. in-state year, all inTuition & fees plus room & board. Excludes books, travel and any aid.	$22,214	$14,697 — Olympic leads on this measure: lower total in-state cost
Est. out-of-state year, all inTuition & fees plus room & board. Excludes books, travel and any aid.	$23,501	$20,240 — Olympic leads on this measure: lower total out-of-state cost

What you leave with

Federal College Scorecard figures for all students at the institution, not softball players specifically. Read them as a signal about the degree, not about the program.

What you leave with: Lower Columbia compared with Olympic
Measure	Lower Columbia	Olympic
Graduation rate	25%	34% — Olympic leads on this measure: higher share of students finishing their degree
Median earnings, 10 years after entry	$40,691/yr	$43,169/yr — Olympic leads on this measure: higher median earnings a decade out
Median debt at graduation	$10,506 — Lower Columbia leads on this measure: less debt carried out the door	$12,000
Debt as a share of year-10 payMedian debt divided by median earnings 10 years after entry. Lower is easier to pay back.	26% — Lower Columbia leads on this measure: debt is a smaller share of what graduates earn	28%

Getting in, and what you'd walk into

Admissions and size. A coach can support your file, but at most schools they cannot admit you — the academic profile below is the bar you still have to clear.

Getting in, and what you'd walk into: Lower Columbia compared with Olympic
Measure	Lower Columbia	Olympic
Total enrollmentNeither is better — it is the difference between a lecture hall and a seminar table.	2,412	5,413
Where it is	Longview, WA	Bremerton, WA

The softball program itself

Division and conference set the ceiling; the postseason record and staff tell you what the program has actually done with it.

The softball program itself: Lower Columbia compared with Olympic
Measure	Lower Columbia	Olympic
Head coach	Traci Fuller	Riley Burdyshaw

How you actually get in front of them

Camps and questionnaires are the two channels a recruit controls. Where a program runs its own camp, that camp is usually the shortest path to being evaluated by the staff that would recruit you.

How you actually get in front of them: Lower Columbia compared with Olympic
Measure	Lower Columbia	Olympic
Recruiting questionnaire	—	Yes
Program on X / Instagram	Yes	—

Scholarship money, honestly

Both programs sit at JUCO (NJCAA & community colleges), so the scholarship rules are identical: varies by njcaa division. Scholarship availability at junior colleges varies by NJCAA division — some can offer full athletic scholarships, some offer tuition-level aid, and NJCAA Division III offers no athletic aid.

How JUCO softball scholarships actually work →

What to do about it this week

Questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules, so you can submit one at any age. Do both, then follow with a short email to each staff.

Lower Columbia

Find the recruiting questionnaire

We do not hold a verified form link for this program — this opens a search.

Camps we track

None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.

Olympic

Open the recruiting questionnaire

Camps we track

None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.

Lower Columbia vs Olympic: common questions

Is Lower Columbia or Olympic cheaper?: On published price, Olympic is cheaper — about $20,240 a year out of state in tuition and housing, against $23,501 at Lower Columbia. That is sticker price; athletic, academic and need-based aid all come off it, so ask both coaches what an actual offer would look like.
Which school graduates more of its students, Lower Columbia or Olympic?: Olympic, at 34% against 25% at Lower Columbia (IPEDS, 2023-24). That is the whole student body, not the softball roster.
Do Lower Columbia and Olympic offer softball scholarships?: Both play at JUCO (NJCAA & community colleges): varies by njcaa division. Scholarship availability at junior colleges varies by NJCAA division — some can offer full athletic scholarships, some offer tuition-level aid, and NJCAA Division III offers no athletic aid.
How do I contact the coaches at Lower Columbia and Olympic?: Olympic runs a recruiting questionnaire — submit it first, since questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules. For Lower Columbia, we do not hold a verified form link, so start from the program page and email the staff directly.

Cost, graduation and enrollment figures from IPEDS (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2023-24). Earnings, debt and admission rates from the federal College Scorecard. Postseason results from the NCAA Division I softball tournament records, 2021-2026. Rankings from NCAA.com and U.S. News & World Report. Figures describe the institution, not the softball roster.

We work hard to keep all data for Lower Columbia and Olympic accurate and up-to-date, but we sometimes miss changes or get something wrong.

Still deciding between them?

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Full Lower Columbia program page →Full Olympic program page →

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