Paying for College

Our Financial Aid department’s primary objective is to bridge the gap between a student’s available funds and the Cost of Attendance (COA), to support students with their needs and their success at Renton Technical College (RTC). Our team works diligently to provide individualized service and is available to walk our students and their families through every step of the financial aid process. The Financial Aid Office increases opportunities for both access and success by helping students seek, obtain, and make the best use of all financial resources 

Empowering Students for Success

Workforce Education supports and provides guidance to help students navigate their college journey to secure high-demand and high-wage jobs in their chosen field.

For eligible students, these programs offer a unique set of specialized services, including:

• Financial Support: Payment for tuition, books, and supplies
• Personalized Navigation: Help finding your way through the college system, ensuring you stay on track and achieve your goals.
• Additional Financial Resources: May be available based on academic program and eligibility.

Financial Assistance Programs

• Worker Retraining: Available for individuals experiencing job loss, unemployment, underemployment, layoffs, veterans, dislocated workers, displaced homemakers, and vulnerable workers needing skills upgrades.
• BFET: (Basic Food Employment and Training). Available for Federal Food Stamps recipients.
• WorkFirst: Available for recipients of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
• Opportunity Grant: Available for low-income students pursuing select high-demand or high-wage careers.

Unemployment and Career Transition Resources

• CAT/TB: Commissioner Approved Training and Training Benefits, allowing attendance at college while receiving a weekly Unemployment check.
• TAA: Trade Adjustment Act

Apply for Workforce Funding

The RTC Veteran Services Office provides veterans and military-affiliated students a wide-range of assistance in a friendly, confidential, respectful, and caring environment. We can help navigate paying for college using VA education benefits and applying for financial aid, and we can provide guidance for additional resources and support for reaching students’ educational and vocational goals. Our Agency Funding staff is here to serve as a liaison between students and various governmental and community agencies that have authorized funding to pay for tuition, books, and supplies.

Scholarships are a common way for students to pay for college. Different scholarships have different deadlines to apply and RTC offers different resources to help students learn about the various scholarship opportunities. Students (including prospective students) can access the Library’s Scholarship Resources home page, which includes resources on scholarship application success. Current students can also find external scholarship information via the “Career Services Center” course on Canvas (log-in required). Additionally, the RTC Foundation provides financial support in the form of internal scholarships and grants to hundreds of students every year to help cover the costs of attending college. While completion of the FAFSA (or WASFA) is not required to qualify for an RTC Foundation scholarship or grant, it is strongly encouraged.
 
RTC Foundation scholarships are offered fall, winter, and spring quarters. RTC Foundation grants are typically offered year-round based on availability of funding.

Renton Technical College offers other resources to aid students and to help with the expense of attending college. These resources are designed to promote some of the other opportunities available to students, supporting successful completion of their program or degree. 

• Collegiate Recovery Scholarship: The Wellbriety Center is the hub for RTC’s collegiate recovery community. Our team works to reduce barriers for students experiencing substance abuse. We also serve RTC students who are homeless or need housing and food. Please visit the Wellbriety Center to learn more about the Collegiate Recovery Scholarship.
• Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness (SSEH): grant which assists students experiencing homelessness, housing, and food insecurity.
• The Learning Resource and Career Center at RTC (LRCC): Free resources include the Food Pantry, computer repair (CHIPS), Handshake job board, resume and mock interview help, free tutoring, free computer lab, and connection to the United Way Benefits Hub for rent assistance, utility assistance, internet help, moving assistance, the Equity Grant. This is also a WorkSource Connection site for the public seeking employment.
• Pay Tuition
• Renton Promise
• Benefit Hub
• Life Essentials SEAG
• WA Opportunity Grant Scholarship