During the 1989-90 academic year, the Washington community colleges enrolled nearly 15,000 individuals receiving public assistance under the Family Independence Program (FIP) and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), representing about 5% of the total student population. A joint project was conducted by the staff of the State Board for Community College Education and the FIP to estimate future enrollments of FIP students and those being served under a new federal welfare program called Jobs, Opportunities, and Basic Skills Program (JOBS), and to describe service levels, differences between FIP and AFDC students, and participation of public assistance students by college. An examination of fall 1989 and spring 1990 student data revealed that, when compared to other community college students, public assistance students were more racially and ethnically diverse, twice as likely to be preparing for a job, half as likely to be preparing for transfer, more likely to require financial aid, and more tightly grouped in age around the median age for all students of 28 years. In comparison to AFDC students, FIP students enrolled for more credits, were more likely to attend full-time, had a higher retention rate from quarter to quarter, were more racially and ethnically diverse, and were more likely to have enrolled in basic skills or developmental studies courses. Graphs and data tables are included. (GFW)