The Hub: Federal Way Higher Education Center is a partnership among Highline College, the University of Washington Tacoma, City of Federal Way and Federal Way Public Schools. It empowers learners of all cultures, identities, and abilities to pursue educational goals in a supportive, community-driven environment.

Located at 1615 S. 325th St. in Federal Way, it features two classrooms, a computer lab, a student study and gathering place, offices and a reception area.

The site is equipped to offer Highline College student support services, such as general admission, advising, placement testing, and enrollment help, as well as opportunities to connect with the community. As of January 2022, The Hub began offering for-credit coursework through Highline College and professional development courses through the UW Tacoma Professional Development Center.   We also offer English language learning for non-native speakers.  In time, the variety of courses offered on-site will grow and evolve.

Although hopes to bring a college presence to Federal Way have been around since 2013, it wasn’t until the City of Federal Way launched its University Initiative in 2014 and conducted a higher education needs assessment in 2016 that they determined there was a great need for accessible educational opportunities within the city. The partners signed a memorandum of understanding in 2017 and the project received state funding in 2018.

The Hub’s site, which is off of Pacific Highway South near several restaurants and The Commons mall, is on a bus line for easy access. And with construction underway for Sound Transit’s Federal Way Link Extension, which will run past Highline College and is scheduled to be complete in 2025, it’s only a matter of time before South King County is more connected to higher education than ever before.