
Renton Technical College | Field Guide 2022
Renton Technical College engages a diverse student population through educational
opportunities for career readiness and advancement, serving the needs of individuals,
the community, businesses and industry. Equity is at the core of our mission, especially
in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. RTC provides hands-on training for high-wage, in-demand
careers in health care. We offer short-term certificates, associate degrees, and associate
transfer degrees in fields as diverse as medical assisting, massage therapy, veterinary
assistant, as well as a two-year Registered Nurse program. We continue to offer these
labs in a safe setting that includes masking and physical distancing to ensure we
meet the needs of our students and health care providers. The RTC service area includes
the Renton, Kent, Auburn, Tahoma and Enumclaw school districts and the central and
south portions of the Seattle School District.
Key Facts
Highest Enrolled Programs
- Commercial Building Engineer
- Computer Science
- Computer Network Technology
- Automotive Technology
- Medical Assistant
Enrollment
- Headcount (all sources): 7,554
- FTES (all sources): 3,192
- Headcount (state-funded): 6,870
- FTES (state-funded): 2,874
Students in Selected Programs
- Applied bachelor's: 119
- Apprentices: 1,907
- I-BEST: 429
- International: 19
- Running Start: 151
- Worker Retraining: 461
Student Profile
Type of Student
- Academic/transfer: 13%
- Basic skills: 16%
- Workforce education: 70%
Race/Ethnicity*
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 4%
- Asian: 23%
- Black/African American: 20%
- Hispanic/Latino: 26%
- Pacific Islander: 1%
- White: 39%
Attendance
- Full-time: 38%
- Part-time: 62%
Family and Finances
- Students receiving need-based financial aid: 41%
- Students with dependents: 61%
Gender
- Female: 44%
- Male: 56%
Median age
30
Points of Interest
Students succeed at RTC, even during a pandemic
Renton Technical College (RTC) continued to offer hands-on training in a safe environment during the pandemic, allowing students to meet their educational and career goals when it was more important than ever. We expanded our online and flex options, investing in students by providing everyone the technology they needed at no cost and training faculty in remote teaching options. Equity is at the core of our mission. We are proud to serve a diverse population of students and to remove barriers to success, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preparing the workforce
RTC prepares students for high-wage, high-demand careers in growing fields such as manufacturing, computer science and health care. Our collaboration with industry experts means our program outcomes align with workforce needs. In addition to certificate and associate degrees in career training programs, RTC offers Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Network Architecture and Application Development, transferable credits and degrees, and Running Start.
Accolades
RTC is consistently ranked as one of the top two-year colleges in the country. Our success led to an unsolicited $5 million gift from MacKenzie Scott and Doug Jewett and recognition of our faculty, including Don Mee Choi, who won a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” Our instructors are both experts in their fields and outstanding teachers who relish seeing students succeed.
Data is from the 2020-21 academic year. Reflects headcount unless otherwise noted.
*May not add up to 100% because students may be counted in more than one race. Percentages calculated on reported value.
President
Dr. Kevin McCarthy
Trustees
- Kirby Unti, chair
- Debra Entenman, vice chair
- Tyler Page
- Freida Takamura
- Shaunie Wheeler-James
Year Founded
1941
Service Area
King County
Legislative Districts
5, 11, 30, 31, 33, 34, 36, 37, 41, 43, 47
Page Manager:
shagreen@sbctc.edu
Last Modified:
1/13/22, 12:06 PM