Public · Community college

Renton Technical College

Renton, Washington · Midsize city

12%
Transfer rate: $8,296
Avg net price: 46%
Grad / completion: $49,782
Median earnings

Renton Technical College is a public certificate-granting institution in Renton, Washington (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,783 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,783 undergradsMidsize cityNear the coast

About Renton, Washington

Renton is a city in King County, Washington, United States, and an inner-ring suburb of Seattle. Long a cultural center for the Duwamish, European settlers arrived in the area of present-day Renton as early as 1853. First among them were Henry Tobin and his wife Diana. Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Capital, Providence Health & Services, and Wizards of the Coast have their headquarters in Renton. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 11 miles to Seattle, WA
To the ocean: 9 miles
Nearest airport: 6 miles to King County International Airport - Boeing Field (BFI)

How Renton Technical College compares

#58 · Community Colleges with the Highest Graduate Earnings

Graduation rate46%

Higher than 32% · #22 of 58 in Washington

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,782

Higher than 90% · #10 of 51 in Washington

Average net price$8,296

Cheaper than 78% · #13 cheapest of 58 in Washington

Median debt at graduation$7,920

Lower than 74%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,783

Larger than 80%

Percentiles compare Renton Technical College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Washington.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women1,03758%
Men74642%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White19%
Black17%
Hispanic21%
Asian15%
Other or multiracial27%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,783
Student–faculty ratio: 19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 21%
First-generation students: 52%
Students over 25: 63%
Median family income: $17,837
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $89,352
Endowment: $2,425,297

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 385 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Washington97%
Other U.S. states3.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Renton Technical College draws overwhelmingly from Washington.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $6,308
Out-of-state tuition: $7,369
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $528
Total cost of attendance: $17,585
Average net price: $8,296

Outcomes

Graduated: 46%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $45,679
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $49,782
Median debt at graduation: $7,920
Students with federal loans: 3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 47%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

46%

Low-income (Pell)

16%

First-generation

16%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 5

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.3reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft

1.0

Rape

0.7

Burglary

0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$7,034

$30–48k

$8,137

$48–75k

$9,790

$75–110k

$13,861

$110k+

$16,335

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

20%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,012

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 20% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,012. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 224 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $49,782
Typical debt at graduation: $7,920
Debt vs. one year's pay: 16%
Out-earn a HS grad: 58%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$45,559

Men

$58,678

Men out-earn women by $13,119 (29%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 78°F
Winter low: 37°F
Annual rain: 34.7″
Annual snow: 6.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Renton Muni AP, WA US station (1.8 mi from campus).

What Renton Technical College graduates study — and earn

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

113 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

113———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

52 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

52———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

42 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

42———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssoc.

31 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

31———Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

29 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

29———Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCert.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

23 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

23 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

21 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

21———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

21 grads$80k 1 yr$95k 5 yr$19k debt

21$80,411$94,790$18,582 Computer ScienceAssoc.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and InspectionCert.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Renton Technical College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Renton Technical College side by side →

Lake Washington Institute of Technology

Public

Kirkland, Washington · Large suburb · 10 mi to Seattle

Students: 2,406
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $51k

Bates Technical College

Public

Tacoma, Washington · Midsize city · 25 mi to Seattle

Students: 1,813
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $50k

Bellingham Technical College

Public

Bellingham, Washington · Small city · 81 mi to Seattle

Students: 1,733
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $50k

Shoreline College

Public

Shoreline, Washington · Large suburb · 10 mi to Seattle

Students: 3,046
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $52k

North Seattle College

Public

Seattle, Washington · Large city · 6 mi to Seattle

Students: 3,074
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 29%
Earnings: $48k

South Puget Sound Community College

Public

Olympia, Washington · Small city · 49 mi to Seattle

Students: 3,075
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $45k

Colleges near Renton Technical College

Pima Medical Institute-Renton

Renton, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 456 students

2 mi

Bellevue College

Bellevue, WA · Public · Associate · 7,364 students

7 mi

Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine

Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

8 mi

Highline College

Des Moines, WA · Public · Associate · 3,838 students

9 mi

South Seattle College

Seattle, WA · Public · Certificate · 1,616 students

9 mi

Seattle University

Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,062 students

11 mi

Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle

Seattle, WA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 154 students

11 mi

Seattle Central College

Seattle, WA · Public · Associate · 3,953 students

11 mi

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.