Centralia College was founded in 1925 and has a rich heritage of professional, technical, transfer, and basic skills programs serving the community. Lewis County and south Thurston County is the College’s service area.

The academic transfer programs, the College offers, enable students to transfer credits earned at Centralia College to four-year institutions. Students can earn the Associate in Arts (AA), the Associate in Liberal Arts (ALA), and the Associate in Science (AS) degree programs. They are planned in cooperation with most four-year colleges and universities in the state of Washington. Centralia College has 4-year partnership programs with St. Martin's University and City University.

Financial Aid
All eligible students may apply for financial aid program at Centralia College. It is designed to provide assistance when student resources are insufficient to meet the cost of going to college. Students will access federal, state, and institutional funds to offset educational expenses. The Financial Aid Office has an open door policy with caring staff to meet the needs of students. It offers a large number of academic and need-based scholarships. The Centralia College scholarship program is funded by tuition waivers, scholarship endowment earnings, and gifts.

Student Services
Centralia College provides a lot of services and resources for its students. The focus is on quality service to students encompassing the whole student experience and includes:
•    Achieving quality results from successful transitions to college
•    Mastering new learning strategies
•    Participating in the Centralia College community
•    Developing career and/or transfer readiness
•    Exposure to dynamic life experiences outside of the classroom