I got my degree in welding technology and I absolutely love it. The instructors where super nice and they helped achieve my goals to become a under water welder. Justin and Ben are some the best instructors I have ever had. If I had to go through there class again I would do it in a heart beat read more

Green River College - Me welding in the shop - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Auburn, Washington

See all

I got my welding tech degree from here and learned a lot of the fundamentals you need out in the field and everything was taught to us right and if we had any questions or needed help with anything for welding, the instructors were always helpful. Had some issues with the school side of things but the welding program was 10/10 and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in getting a welding degree or if you're just trying to learn. read more

My issue is with financial aid and administration. Financial aid is impossible to reach. They don't answer phones or respond to emails. And if they do ever respond, their response is in no way helpful. They are insanely slow at getting anything done or getting files completed before classes start. I will have to drop my summer classes because they haven't processed my aid in time for classes. Beth Hawes's (the financial aid director) response to me was to pay out of pocket for my classes. Um, no. I won't be doing that. If you attempt to reach out to any admin to get help, they don't respond either. I mean what are they actually doing over there if they aren't helping students? Isn't that your entire job? They recently fired the college president because of low enrollments and issues with how the departments are ran and it seems administrators at this school have learned nothing from that situation and are still not running departments efficiently. You're losing students! Do better! I will now take my tuition money elsewhere. read more

The welding department is a joke. Ben Orr and Justin Pitt should be fired immediately. Justin Pitt is an instructor that has been at Green River for 9 years. He doesn't know Anything about welding. He can not run any machines without help from Ben Orr. These two people are miserable examples of instructors. They say they like watching people suffer. They start every one in stick welding and don't let them pass on to any other form of welding. I seen them hold people back for no reason. Most students don't pass the stick welding part. So they spend 6 quarters on stick welding not even getting certified. Justin Pitt will not even grade your work. Ben Orr will lie and cover for Justin Pitt. Under age students drink alcohol in the welding booths. Have sex do drugs and no one cares. If you are wanting to really learn and go on to make a living. Stay away from Gree River. read more

Have attempted to contact Green River College, as used to be Green River Community College, and called several times getting recordings stating they are too busy to take a phone call and please leave a message. Left several and took 1 month to call me back as am trying to get a official transcript as took 1 class there about 10 years ago. Then said cannot get an official transcript unless you are a current student and hung up! Need this to go back to another college requiring official transcripts. Since do not answer phones and cannot even get records or ANYTHING, would strongly suggest going elsewhere. Am living out of state. read more

Keep track of everything! Document everything. During the year 2020, COVID happened. I was a student-athlete running track & field for Green River. I was taking 3 classes in which all athletes must be taking in order to compete where you must be passing all your classes. Once COVID hit, I wasn't notified about any finals from my professors except for my (AMES) American Minority Ethnic Studies Professor where he passed all of us due to the inconvenience of COVID cancelling classes & the campus. Still no updates with my other professors about finals as I was checking my student email daily. Fast forward to summer, 2023, COVID isn't as big as it was back then and I'm ready to go back to school to finish my degree to get my AA. As I'm reapplying for Green River & FAFSA, I get notified that I've been denied by FAFSA that I won't receive anything due to my GPA being low. I was confused as I remembered my GPA being a 3.2 at the time before COVID happened. So I checked my grades to see what has happened and seen that the other two classes I was taking failed me which dropped my GPA to a 2.0. I got in contact with Green River Advisors and they didn't help at all. I did an appeal two times and they're saying I'm missing something when I'm submitting everything they're asking for. I tried to get my records from the athletic department to show them what classes I was taking but the athletic department lost of my documentation where there's no evidence of me even being on the team. All the practice I went to, all the study halls, the team pictures we took I guess wasn't nothing. Even my friends are confused about the situation as we took the same classes and I was basically their tutor for Mass Media learning about the news! Another class was Aerobic Walking...how do you fail aerobic walking when you're basically entering everything you're doing on a spreadsheet of walking, running or any exercises that you was doing. It's getting to the point that Green River has messed up my college education for me as i am NOT PAYING OUT OF POCKET for something that's out of my control. I'm still in the process of getting everything fixed but still no help whatsoever from anybody at Green River... SO KEEP DOCUMENT OF EVERYTHING! TAKE PICTURES!! read more

Dropped me from my classes even though my financial aid was still processing. It was fine when I went here for Running Start, but once you need to actually use financial aid they make it way too difficult. read more

Our son Andrew attended GRC and earned his AA University of Washington Transfer degree with a 4.0 GPA. His professors were outstanding and further distinguished themselves by being an encouragement to the students . Upon graduation Andrew was inducted into the International Honor Society's Phi Theta Kappa Society. Concurrently he was awarded a Sharp & Connelly Family Transfer Scholarship from GRC that is meant for students planning to attend the UW. Andrew was accepted to the UW and into their Chemical Engineering Department. He immediately formed a study group of five students which he mentored and coached for the next three years. His scholarship helped pay tuition during that first academic year. However, during the second year of study Beth Gatzke at GRC revoked the remaining half of Andrew's scholarship. When this decision was appealed Ms. Gatzke was adamant and rudely justified her decision by saying Andrew was a fault because he didn't talk to her. Ms. Gatzke's attempt to deter Andrew's education was ultimately overcome by working many extra hours of overtime. This additional effort was rewarded several years later when Andrew literally led his entire study group across the stage at the University of Washington's commencement exercise. All five graduates received their Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering. The complaint here is obvious but the greater message is to not let a back office Email pusher deter, discourage, or stop you in life. Andrew did not and he now serves his country with distinction at the State Department. read more

This college is a disorganized mess as far as Administration & Financial Aid. It took my daughter countless months to get a hold of the person in charge of the Stenographer program because none of the Academic Counselors could help her without permission from the Dept Head! Now over 1 year later we received federal financial aid assistance & their financial aid department WILL NOT RELEASE her financial aid FROM THE FALL 2024!! We have been calling & emailing for months & keep getting DIFFERENT EXCUSES or THEY CAN'T ANSWER THE PHONE! Multiple times we've been told to send THE SAME PAPERWORK BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE! Once a financial aid employee told us we had "everything completed.." & were "waiting on confirmation to release funds." Then 1 week later another employee tells her we never sent the paperwork they needed!!! My kids have ALL GONE to different colleges & this one is A COMPLETE DISASTER! read more

Been going for almost two years. Of course there have been problems but that's only from two professors I have had. I do wish there was the ability to have more accommodations from DSS, as the ones I have now do not help me with online school work at all. I mean you can give me ll the time in the world but it dosent help when I don't remember what I am being tested on then be accused of stuff I didn't do. But all in all I love the college. And I could go for a breakfast sandwich from the gator grill right about now. read more

Still trying to get these shit bags to answer the phone, been about a year now. Don't go here, this a scam at its finest. Called the school about 30 times without an answer off tops. Been the same annoying ringtone also. I'm sayin every office is like this. read more

Way back in the Paleolithic era while most of mankind was first learning to make and use stone tools, I was busy earning an AA degree from Green River. I haven't even been on the campus since Justin Bieber was born, so...I guess this review is kind of pointless. Kind of like old Beebs himself. Oh well, I wish to give props to my old school anyway. Southeast Siii-de! Out of the many, many schools I've attended over the years GRCC is one of the few I look back on fondly. The teachers there were some of the best I've ever had. I'm 100% convinced that you receive a much better education at a CC than you do at a university because here the teachers actually teach, rather than hole up in their offices trying to secure tenure while some grad student that barely speaks English does all the actual teaching. It's a gorgeous campus and just a place you don't mind being. Heck, I took two summer sessions there and didn't mind being there that much. I actually kind of recommend summer session because it's a bit shorter, totally laid back, and you get let out early a lot ; ) Even the admin staff is easy to deal with. Just recently I discovered I had lost my GRCC diploma somewhere along the way and called about getting a new one. I was transferred to the correct person immediately, and she was super nice and helpful. And I got my diploma the next freaking day! That's night and day compared to dealing with the UW. Ugh, don't get me started on them. I SAID DON'T GET ME STARTED! A-hem. Anyway...if you're thinking about taking a class or two here I would highly recommend it. read more

GRCC doesn't value, appreciate, or respect its employees. Faculty, staff, and students are the college, and ought be treated as the asset they are. read more

Green River College - Shame on the trustees and president. - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Auburn, Washington

Busy campus. There are lots of support options for students, very large library. The library can be kinda noisy, too many people playing/watching video game on computers during school hrs. Makes it hard to find a open computer when u need it for school work. The nature trails around campus are great, lots of paths and beautiful nature. The food options are terrible on campus. The grill hot meal options are mostly all fried. :( food overall is a bit pricy. The coffee station in LB building is pretty good. I go there weekly. read more

I am currently taking the Veterinary Assistant course through Green River C.C. They have been really helpful and friendly my entire schooling with them. I graduate from the program on August 6th and I already got a job in a Veterinary Clinic! Things are looking up! I would consider taking this course! read more

Continuing education courses at GRCC are a good value! I attended a one-time 2-hour continuing ed course recently ($39) and found it to be a good value and worth my time. The subject was voice-over (radio announcing) and the instructor (a guy who does this all over the US) was an expert in the field and a good teacher. If other courses (in other subjects) have equally experienced instructors, I would consider doing this again. read more

They actually know how to use funds to upgrade buildings and equipment for the benefits of the students? No way! I came here reluctantly after several bad experiences with Highline CC. I'm currently working on getting some medical prereqs I didn't have in my undergrad so I can apply for my Master's degree. I took an anatomy class, and everything from application, registration, to applying for the second class I needed the following quarter was fast, easy, and a no-brainer. The class I took was in the new science building, the professors I met were very nice, and it's just a pleasure to be on campus. If you are considering a community college, I would definitely recommend GRCC. It's obvious they care about their student population by providing excellent service and a quality campus. read more

I have been going to this school for 2 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything! Teachers are so hands on and want you to succeed!

Financial aid and counseling services feel non-existent. Getting all your financial aid paperwork in by the "priority deadline" is does not mean you will get your financial aid on time. Their office is so disorganized it takes them over 120 days to file paper work to disburse financial aid, and it can come 5 weeks or later after the start of the quarter (even though you're required to buy $100's of dollars worth of books and school supplies the 1st week to be able to participate in classes). If you catch a counselor, make sure to do it before registration starts. If class registration has already started, it might seem logical to see a counselor to make sure you're checking off graduation requirements and pre-reqs, but they're so slammed you'll never get a timely appointment, and the advisor will be so ragged that they'll probably half-ass the session. The professors are pretty good. Philosophy professors have been phenomenal, math profs knowledgeable. English is a little flaky. 1 prof didn't show up for 2 weeks after the first day and was fired half way through the quarter. Basically, if you're comfortable going solo registering for class and tracking financial aid deadlines/requirements, GRCC might be a decent option. If you feel like you'll need support from the administration, you're going to want to find a different school with competent administrators. read more

i couldn't sign up for classes in time because they think it's cute to not answer the phone

I went to Green River College from 2013 and just graduated this past year. The campus is beautiful in the sense that it is homey and surrounded by nature. I majored in criminal justice and I can confidently say that all of my criminal justice teachers were passionate, wonderful, and knowledgeable. With that being said, I advise anyone going to any sort of college or university to check www.ratemyprofessor.com before registering for classes to make sure that the teacher is of good standard. Getting a "bad" teacher can be a great burden and can cause for your GPA to plummet unjustly. I also enjoyed all of the inclusivity, organizations, and awareness given to those in minorities (ethnicities, races, religions, sexualities, gender identity, etc.). They recently added some all-gender bathrooms (gender neutral bathrooms) and I have seen copious pride flags around campus. Overall, Green River College is a nice and easy option, especially for those on a budget. Just beware: Parking can be quite a hassle during peak hours (9am-12pm). Make sure to arrive a great deal before your class starts to not be tardy. You can buy a parking pass at a hefty price, but I don't advise it. Even that paid-for parking lot gets easily filled. There is also a shuttle that runs from Pacific Raceways to Green River and a bus stop right outside of the campus. read more

I took a programming class from the continuing education program. The instructor's recommendations were to check Stackoverflow, Google or Youtube - and claimed "trial and error are standard." I've never taken a programming class this unprofessional/unprepared/unqualified before. read more

10 years ago, I got my AA Degree from GRCC, and now I am a staff member there. If you can't tell just by that statement, I love this college! The location is nice, and the campus is gorgeous!! The staff, myself included, are incredibly friendly and eager to help students. The faculty are extremely knowledgeable and will go the extra mile to make sure students are getting the best education possible. Students have a variety of programs to choose from, which is amazing... especially in this economy! If you are considering pursuing a degree, you should come check out GRCC!! read more

Rudest Security Staff! I love this college but the awkward security team, from staff until managers, makes me hate place specifically the main campus!!! read more

Not a student here, but just took a Bob Ross Oil Landscaping painting class. Was pretty awesome to say the least. $115 for two weekends of painting. You take home a finished painting each weak. There is also a $40 supply fee as well. All well worth it in my opinion. The teacher is wonderful, as well was all who attended. 8:30am - 4:30 pm. read more

Parking is unclear. Parking lot #14 is unmarked, no signage, and no "no parking" signs. It's a large gravel lot that student's park at. We park the best we can and give one another space to get in and out. All was well. I got a ticket for $30 , the citation stated that I parked in a "no parking" area. What!!? There is no "no parking" sign, there is no stall markings, and nothing to let any student know where exactly to park. What a shameful way to make money off of student's who abide and follow parking policies. I am requesting a hearing, now wasting more of my time. I am frustrated with this college's security parking representative. How can you give a ticket to a person when they had no clue they were parking in a "no parking" area? Not honest. read more

I pretty much have spent my entire life for the past two years at this school. It is my second home. They offer a wide variety of services for students such as free tutoring and free gym access. In regards to the cafeteria, the food is not the best in my opinion. Sometimes I feel like it is overpriced and the portions are small. I'd recommend bringing your own lunch to save money. Green River is also a school that hosts the Running Start program which is a great opportunity for students looking to get some college credit while in High School. Most of the teachers I have had are decent enough so that's all good. In the end, Green River is not a bad school. read more

I went here for a little over a year. The staff here is incredibly unhelpful. I met with an advisor to help me plan out my classes for the upcoming quarter and i told them i want to (and have to because of my financial aid requirements) be in school full time/take atleast 3 classes a quarter. the advisor told me that's "not possible" with the classes i have left even though i had a wide range and it IS possible. They gave me a layout of 1-2 classes a quarter, besides that the advisor didn't give me any useless information and it was a waste of my time. The financial aid lady was also extremely rude, talked down to me the entire time i was there. These appointments just left a bad taste and i unenrolled and went to a different community college which was the best choice i could've made. The campus is nice and they have a lot of resources but not a big option for classes (ex. most classes are 8-1pm, not a lot of online or night classes). if you aren't given an early time to enroll you're kinda screwed out of the good classes, and in my experience i haven't had that great of professors. There are much better community colleges around here that i would recommend over this school any day. read more

This is a beautiful campus! Had to walk through it today and was not regretful. If there are any students (.graduate level) who is looking for housing, please let me know! read more

GRCC is overall a pretty good school. right now they are in the process of remodeling almost all the buildings so it's kind of a mess, but usually the campus is very beautiful and I'm sure it will look great once they finish it. There are trails that go behind the school that you can look out and see the valley and Mt Rainier before you go all the way down to the river itself. The library is pretty average. The offices can be sort of unorganized and frustrating, but I've never atteded a school where this wasn't true. The classes/professors are kind of a hit or miss. If you spend some time there you'll definitely end up learning something. Overall I think GRCC is a great addition to the community. read more

I would not recommend this school for an IT degree. I attended this school for an AA in IT Systems, there is no real lectures and I never really felt connected to the class, always very disconnected. I understand we the students need to study and read our textbooks, but there was absolutely no sense of leadership from the teachers here. There is one teacher I had for IT work environment who works at Udub Tacoma as a network admin. I remember him stating he had a rough childhood of poverty, which makes me think he worked so hard and appreciates things in life and actually is a hard worker. I forgot his name but he was the only great professor although it was for a less important class. I expect teachers, even if it's a short lecture, to give some sort of presentation for their class that is understandable, easy to read having slides and representations of the topics, and some in class group assignments or something that engages the class to be interactive. This is not the case here. If I had chosen differently, I would've went to Bellevue College, I hear their curriculum is a lot better there. Don't waste your money! I have a degree although still feeling ill prepared from the lack of curriculum their IT program has. I am surprised some people stay two years and stay for their BA, which is more money, and same sense of no accountability of being a teacher representing leadership, important skills for the real world, or any real insight other than the boring dry material in textbooks and zero communication of learning. read more

Been to Highline and UW, this was easily the worst school. Financial aid is terrible, the website is terrible, everything about signing up for classes and paying was bad. On top of that I had to leave due to serious circumstances, and it was like pulling teeth to get a payment plan. When the quarter was only two class sessions in. I let them know I risked losing my home due to my situation and the extra fee they placed on me was killer. They didn't care. They were also quick to threaten me with collections during the time we discussed my situation. Some great instructors plagued by a greedy College. It's no wonder many professors are leaving to other schools due to money. Go to Bellevue or Highline if you want to go to a College that isn't all about money. read more

This school is great, if you know what you're doing in college. If you want someone to hold your hand, than you might consider one without such a large population. Online classes are not so great, but the on campus courses have plenty of variety and excellent teachers. The school newspaper has a website just for students, the library has plenty of computers for student use, and most people are generally friendly and easygoing. The school has a reputation for being full of pot heads, but the majority of students are actually foreign exchange because of the on campus housing options available. Finanacial aid at this school is more competitive than others because of the amount of students applying, so turn in paperwork as early as possible to get the best funding options. For example, I transferred in Winter, and my funding changed completely from my old school to the next ending with a student loan instead of work study. nbg, just get paperwork in early. Gorgeous campus, trees and wildlife everywhere. Squirrels everywhere you look, they have a tendency to follow people around. Parking is a nightmare, but there are alternatives like a shuttle to pacific raceways that take care of the problem. read more

The school it's self is an overall good school. I completed my AA degree there. As a warning they have real issues with their Financial Aid office. There is a breakdown in their application process, for some reason they can't complete the applications even a couple weeks into the semester. Their director needs to visit other colleges and universities and restructure their process. 1) GRCC will drop you from your classes, and 2) your aid can be up to two months late, even if your Fasfa is approved, 3) They will hold your refund and distribute it in 2 disbursement payments, beginning of quarter (if your lucky!) and then 6 weeks in! No one lump some like other schools! I have gone to 2 other colleges and 1 other university, all of them no matter how late my paperwork, even if I finished turning in paperwork the week before school, I would wait no more then 2 weeks after school started for my refund. No threat of being dropped from classes, if you don't pay at the end of the quarter they will just put a hold on your transcript and/or not let you enroll in next quarter. a guarantee they get their money at some point. Their employee count in the financial aid department, exact same as GRCC. Also with the university I went to they had a book charge option, so if you had been approved for financial aid through Fasfa, you could charge your books and supplies to an account at the book store. You signed a waiver of course showing responsibility for the books and supplies signed for, all you had to have was your state ID or school ID. This all prior to receiving your aid this way kids had their books before their aid and the store made a ton of money; win win! Kids would spend mad amounts of money on supplies, back packs, lap tops and text books. So it seems like someone needs to lose their job or someone needs to address the problem. The school is losing capital from students getting dropped from classes, scarred off by threats of being dropped, scarred off by not being able to afford books, getting scared off by not having their student loan money to live off of and not buying books and supplies through their store! Some real poor management going on, especially for a learning institution! I'm a business student and can see the problem don't get why management can't or GRCC isn't in the game to make money! read more

I really enjoy majority of the instructors here. I was going to Highline as a running start student, then ended up leaving because I felt so lost with my goals. When I did decide to return to school, my first priority was meeting up with an advisor to get my graduation date set and my classes all lined up. The advisers there are amazing. They are very up front with what you will need as a student to succeed in the future. As well the instructors (for the most part) are attentive to their students. I would recommend anyone who is looking for a community college in the area to come here. read more

this campus is beautiful but that's what makes it difficult to get around. The campus buildings are NOT clearly marked and with all the twists and turns to go around the landscape...it becomes very confusing. It's dangerous in the darker winter hours because it is NOT well lite. One of the reasons I left this college years ago was because of the difficulty finding the buildings and the scary parking lot. The adult continuing education classes are interesting but every time I think of having to locate the building (even with clear maps provided) I always elect to try and find the class at another location. Green River...rethink building markings and landscape for safety. read more