Setting
Heritage’s main campus of 48 acres is located in the city of Toppenish, Washington, known for over 70 historical murals. Toppenish is located in Yakima County, Washington, ranking first in the United States in the number of all fruit trees. Yakima County is also known for additional agricultural products including award winning wines. It is sheltered from Western Washington’s heavy rainfall and boasts an annual average of 300 days of sunshine.
The Toppenish campus includes a total of 145,519 square feet (permanent buildings: 126,576 SF and mobile structures: 19,343 SF).
Courses are also offered at Columbia Basin College (Tri-Cities), at our Tri-Cities regional site in Kennewick, and online.
Our Students
Enrollment
In the fall of 2023, student enrollment at Heritage included:
- 830 total degree-seeking students
- 774 undergraduate students
- 56 graduate students
Diversity
Heritage is the only private university in the state to be designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Additionally, with its percentage of Native American students, it is also designated as Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution (NASNTI) . Heritage is one of only two universities in the country to be designated as both a HSI and a NASNTI. The broad diversity found at Heritage is an asset to all students as this exposure to different ethnicities and cultures helps them succeed in a multicultural workforce.
In the fall of 2021, the full-time undergraduate student population at Heritage consisted of:
- 74% Hispanics of any race
- 12% American Indian or Alaska Native
- 8% White
- 3% Two or more races
- 1% Asian
- 1% Black or African American
- 1% Race and Ethnicity Unknown
- 1% Non-Resident Alien
80% of Heritage students are the first in their family to attend college. To help overcome the challenges faced by first-generation college students, Heritage provides Student Support Services (S3), a federal TriO project to assist first-time and low-income college students and students with disabilities in earning a bachelor’s degree.
Heritage helps first-time students from migrant and seasonal farmworker families by offering college transition support services through the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP).
Financial Aid
For the vast majority of Heritage University students, a college education would be unobtainable without financial aid support. Through its equity packaging of grants and scholarships, Heritage is able to provide that support to every student with a demonstrated need.
- 96% of Heritage students receive financial aid
- $18,936 is the average combined financial aid and scholarship award for first-year freshmen
- $4 million in scholarships and institutional aid is awarded annually by Heritage
- Cohort Loan Default Rate: 0%
Because Heritage is a private institution, it relies heavily on the generosity of donors. The university works with donors to create endowed and named scholarships and to build awarding criteria to match their individual funding goals.
HERITAGE FILLS THE FINANCIAL GAP
62% of Heritage students who receive a Federal Pell or Washington State Needs Grant do not receive enough aid to cover tuition. Heritage makes up the difference with its Eagle Scholarship. Through this private funding, we reduce the gap to no more than a student’s subsidized loan eligibility each year.
Graduation Rates
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Over a span of four years, an average of 45% of full-time, first-time students graduate within 150% timeframe (six years).
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Within six years, 53% of full-time, first-time students graduate.
Accreditation
Heritage University is accredited by:
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Lab Sciences
- Professional Educator Standards Board
- Washington State Nursing Quality Assurance Commission
- Council on Social Work Education