Tuition & Payments

Tuition 

Renton Technical College adopts the tuition schedule as approved by the Washington State Board for Community Technical College (SBCTC) on an annual basis. Tuition and fee rates are set by the State Legislature, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and the Board of Trustees at Renton Technical College (RTC). Charges vary by residency status, credits, and course type enrolled. 

Tuition Description  

 Tuition is made up of three parts:  

• Operating Fee, which supports college operations 

•  Building Fee, which supports infrastructure and innovation. This tuition fee is charged for in-person and online classes. 

•  Service & Activities (S & A) Fee, which supports students’ activities and programs  

Please note: In your ctcLink account depending on the residency status for tuition purposes you will see these three parts of tuition charges broken separately “resident”, “non-resident” and “international”.  

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) has legislative authority to set tuition rates. They also set some fees, while other fees are determined at the college level. The charts below show basic tuition rates for state-supported courses, broken out on a per-credit basis for resident, non-resident (with qualifying differential/ non-resident waiver applied) and international students.  There are two levels of tuition rates. Lower division rates apply to certificate and associate degree programs. Upper division rates apply to bachelor’s degrees only.   

Lower Division (certificate/associate degrees) Tuition Table, effective Fall 2026

Upper Division (bachelor’s degrees) Tuition Table, effective Fall 2026

• SBCTC site 

• Basic Skills Tuition: Students who are taking classes within the College & Career Pathways (CCP) area of study are charged $25/term (quarter).     

• Apprentice Tuition: For Apprenticeship courses (as agreed upon between the college and apprenticeship partner), the State Board has set a rate equal to 50% of the standard per credit amount for tuition (operating and building fees) and S&A fees. The college, in alignment with the apprenticeship tuition waiver, will waive 50% of the tuition, comprehensive, security and technology fees- effective Fall 2024 quarter. The waiver does not apply to applicable course/class and eLearning fees.   

• Journeyperson Tuition: For Journeyperson courses, including the Multi-Occupational Trades (MOT) degree*, RTC has set a rate equal to 75% the standard per credit amount for tuition (operating and building fees), S&A fees, the comprehensive, security and technology fees.  The waiver does not apply to applicable course/class and eLearning fees.

• State Employee Tuition: The state employee will be charged $20.00 per course tuition, and any applicable college and course fees. RTC’s fee is $20 per class, limited to two classes up to 10 credits per quarter. The state employee waiver is available on a space-available basis. 

College Fees 

These are three college fees that are charged on a per unit(credit) basis: mandatory, security, and technology fee.   

• College Fee: Fees set by Renton Technical College. 

• Mandatory Fee: $22/unit (credit) are used to offset operating expenses 

• Security Fee: $5/unit (credit) are used to support campus security 

• Technology Fee: $4 /unit (credit) are part of the Associated Student Government budget and are used for technology resources. 

Service Fees 

The college may charge services to cover the cost of processing specialized services.  

• International Admissions Fee: $50 

• Late Registration Fee: $45

• Payment Plan Enrollment Fee: $25 

• ACCUPLACER Assessment Fees: $10/exam or $25 for three exams 

• Challege Course fee: $75 per course  

eLearning Fees 

• eLearning Course Fee: Fees applied to classes based on Instruction Mode. They are to cover costs associated with eLearning staff, software, and equipment. These are applied to Professional Technical (Career Training) and Academic (General Education) classes.  

• Online (OS, OW, OA, OB): $20/course    

• In Person (Web-Enhanced -WE), Hybrid (HY), Flexible (FL): $20/course 

Course/Class Fees 

The following programs have additional fees for the program. They are organized by the Area of Study. 

Advanced Manufacturing 

Definitions: 

• *Supplies Course Fee: Fees applied to courses with lab components to cover the cost of supplies used throughout the program. 

Business Management 

Definitions: 

• Supplies Course Fee: Fees applied to courses with lab components to cover the cost of supplies used throughout the program. 

Culinary Arts 

Definitions: 

• Supplies Course Fee: Fees applied to courses with lab components to cover the cost of supplies used throughout the program.  

• Supplies Course Fees for CUL 104 and CUL 133 are set at a higher rate specifically for those courses to cover the higher costs of materials.  

• Culinary Arts Course Fee: Fees applied to courses to cover the cost of meals for students during the quarter.

Health & Human Services 

Definitions: 

•   Mal & Gen Liability Insurance: This fee covers medical malpractice and general liability insurance for the year. It may vary based on the yearly updated contract.   

• Supplies Course Fee: Fees applied to courses with lab components to cover the cost of supplies used throughout the program.   

• Clinical Placement Fee: It covers the costs associated with clinical placement.  

• Exam Course Fee: This fee covers the cost of exam certifications taken throughout the program.   It is a pass-through course fee, non-refundable after 100% refund period, is charged to students with their mandatory fees and then gets used to pay a charge from a vendor or industry certification exam fee as part of the curriculum.  

Information Technology 

Definitions: 

•  Supplies Course Fee: Fees applied to courses to cover the cost of supplies used throughout the program.  

Transportation Technology 

Definitions: 

• Supplies Course Fee: Fees applied to courses with lab components to cover the cost of supplies used throughout the program.  

Academic/General Education 

Definitions: 

•  Supplies Course Fee: Fees applied to courses to cover the cost of supplies used throughout the program.  

Payment Plan  

The Payment Plan program allows you to pay your tuition on an installment plan.   

• To enroll, you can sign up using your ctcLink account and select “Financial Account” tile, under “Payment Plans”, click on “Enroll in Payment Plan”. Each quarter you must enroll with the Cashier or through ctcLink Account before making your first payment.    

• The Payment Plan allows students to divide tuition into three payments for Fall, Winter, Spring quarters and two payments for Summer quarter. 

• There is a quarterly $25 non-refundable enrollment fee.    

• Any partial payment made toward tuition without enrolling in Payment Plan could result in administrative withdrawal from classes.    

• Removal from the Payment Plan will occur if the First Full Payment is not paid by the tuition due date. 

• Payments will not be electronically withdrawn. Students are responsible for making each payment by the respective due date. 

• Admission fees or miscellaneous fees are not eligible to be carried through Payment Plan.    

• More information about our Payment Plan can be found on the Student Financial webpage or by calling the cashier’s office at 425-235-2300   

Refund Policy 

• The general refund policy applies to all Renton Technical College students, regardless of financial aid status.    

• Students are responsible for dropping classes in ctcLink student self-service in a timely manner. Alternatively, students may fill out an add/drop form and submit it to the Enrollment Services office to drop a class. Refunds are calculated based on the date the form is received.    

• Refunds will be based on the Academic calendar as posted on the RTC website. Tuition will be refunded as follows:    

• 100% On or before the 5th calendar day of the quarter    

• 50% On or after the 6th calendar day through the 20th calendar day of the quarter    

• No Refund On or after the 21st calendar day of the quarter    

• If the duration of a class is different from the academic calendar, the refund is calculated based on the equivalent percentage of time.    

Continuing Ed classes are 100% refundable up until the day prior to the class start date. No refunds are given after the class start date.    

College & Career Pathways classes are 100% refundable.    

Refunds will not be granted for students withdrawn for disciplinary reasons.  

Non-Refundable Fees:  

The following fees are not refundable:   

• Testing fees   
• Payment plan fees   
• International admissions fees   
• International insurance fees   
• Late registration fees   

The following fees are not refundable after the 100% refund period:    

• eLearning fees - Online, In Person (Web-Enhanced), Hybrid, Flex (Optional - F2F or Online)    

• Mal & Gen Liability Insurance fees    

• Clinical Placement fees    

•  Exam course fees (the description may be vary)    

• State Employee fees    

Exceptions   

100% tuition and fees will be refunded if:    

• The class was canceled by the college    

• Student was dropped for non-payment    

• Student was dropped for perquisite not met    

• Student was dropped as a no-show (Students who do not attend class in-person and/or log online into Canvas are considered as no-shows.)    

• Students called for military active duty will be granted a refund of tuition and fees paid for the current payment period, subject to the rules and regulations of their respective funding sources. Presentation of written confirmation is required.    

Refund amounts for a medical drop are based on the official appeal process decision by committee.    

Refund Method    

Refunds for special programs will be made directly to the funding agency administrator. Tuition that is paid in cash will be refunded by check. Tuition that is paid by a credit card will be returned to the same card.    

Limitation of Liability   

Limitation of Liability: This is not a complete list of fees. Self-supporting classes are not subject to this fee schedule. Please note that all tuition and fee rates are set by the Washington State Legislature, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and the Board of Trustees at Renton Technical College (RTC). RTC reserves the right to change the fees without notice and change tuition rates, to comply with the State regulations.