High school juniors and seniors in Bellingham Public Schools and countywide are invited to College Fair 2023. This free event takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12 at Sehome High School, located at 2700 Bill McDonald Parkway.

Public, private, two-year and four-year institutions from around the Pacific Northwest will be onsite, including: Bellingham Technical College, Whatcom Community College, and Skagit Valley College; the University of Washington; Central, Eastern and Western Washington universities; Gonzaga University; University of Puget Sound, Whitman College  and Whitworth University; and Oregon State University. Representatives from institutions outside of the northwest region will include California Polytechnic State University, Oberlin College and WestPoint. See below for a fuller list of attendees.

Futures NW, Washington Opportunity Council and Whatcom Dollars for Scholars will host information tables. Financial aid sessions will be held during the event.

Register for the event

Students are encouraged to register for this free event ahead of time through StriveScan. Go to www.strivescan.com, then click Student Registration to register. Students can also scan the QR code or snap the SnapChat code found on posters and flyers around school to access the registration form. Once registered, students will receive a barcode which saves time filling out the information cards for each college table they visit. Registering will also give them a reminder of the event and give them a list of the colleges with whom they share their barcode at College Fair.

Beyond high school planning

Planning for life after high school is important work for high school students. We encourage families to start discussions about where student passions lie and what they might like to do after high school. Every high school student works on a High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) which sketches out what students should do to graduate successfully. It also helps to outline post-high school plans. Learn more about HSBP here.

New in fall 2023, the college application process and the HSBP process will use the Xello platform. Read more here.

To help with discussions about career and college planning, the Partnership for Learning and the College Promise Coalition have many resources online, including a student success guide and an interactive infographic that depicts different job pathways. Every high school also has a career center with helpful information.

For more information on college and career planning, please contact your school counselor or career center.

Colleges and universities attending as of 9/27/2023

Bellingham Technical College

California Polytechnic

Central Washington University

Corban University

Cornish College

Cottey College

DigiPen Institute of Technology

Eastern Washington University

Evergreen Beauty College

Fairhaven College ( WWU)

Futures NW

Gonzaga University

Grand Canyon University

Hawaii Pacific University

Lewis and Clark College

Montana State University

Northwest Indian College

Oberlin College

Oregon State University

Pacific Lutheran University

Pacific Northwest College of Art

Reed College

Saint Martin's University

Seattle University

Seattle Pacific University

Skagit Valley Community College

Trinity Western University

University of Portland

University of Puget Sound

University of Redlands

University of Washington

Vancouver Island University

Washington Opportunity Council

Washington State University

Western Washington University

WestPoint

Whatcom Community College

Whatcom Dollars for Scholars

Whitman College

Whitworth University