Established in 1970, NSCC is a member of the Seattle Community College District and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and/or Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Since its opening, NSCC has enabled more than 180,000 students to pursue their educational goals.

NSCC is located in the Northgate area five miles north of the Seattle city center in a quiet residential neighborhood. The college is easily accessed from I-5. Its modern campus occupies 62 acres, including 11 acres of environmentally sensitive wetlands.