Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 3.0Centralia College is 3.5 miles from Chehalis
No college sits inside Chehalis’ boundary, but Centralia College’s campus in Centralia, with 1,694 students on campus, is 3.5 miles from the center of town, and South Puget Sound Community College is 24.9 miles away in Olympia. About 3% of Chehalis’ residents are enrolled in college, below Washington (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Chehalis. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Chehalis
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Chehalis
It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Chehalis.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Chehalis’ median household income ($73,702) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Chehalis: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Chehalis
Is Chehalis a college town?
No. About 3 of every 100 Chehalis residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Washington (6). The nearest campus, Centralia College, is 3.5 miles away in Centralia.
What colleges are near Chehalis?
Within 15 miles: Centralia College (3.5 miles, 1,694 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Chehalis, and what does it cost?
South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, 24.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,252 a year for Washington residents; the federal net price, $9,132, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Centralia College cost if we live in Washington?
Tuition and fees are $5,266 a year in-state and $5,651 from out of state.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Chehalis. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →