Transfer Frequently Asked Questions

The biggest differences are in funding, mission and often cost.

Public Colleges & Universities get most of their funding from the state government, making them more affordable for in-state students. Public schools have a mission to provide accessible and affordable education to people in the community or state. They are often larger, with more students and offer a wide range of programs. Renton Technical College is a public college.  

Private Colleges & Universities are funded by tuition, private donations and investments. They generally have higher tuition costs, but also often provide significant financial aid and scholarships to students. Private schools often offer smaller class sizes, more personalized education, and may reflect specific religious beliefs or certain ways of teaching and learning. 

For-Profit Colleges & Universities operate as a business and are funded by student tuition dollars. Their mission is to make a profit. These schools often focus on career programs designed for adult students and those who are balancing work and school, with online or flexible degrees. Some for-profit schools have been criticized or faced legal action for aggressive recruitment, high tuition, and lower academic standards.

The best way to determine if a school is legitimate is to check their accreditation status & type. 

What is Accreditation? 

Accreditation is a formal recognition that a school or program meets certain academic and institutional standards. Accreditation verifies that the education provided by a school is: 

  • High quality 
  • Recognized by employers 
  • Eligible for federal financial aid and scholarships 
  • Recognized by other schools, and how your credits can transfer 
  • Meets requirements for professional licenses or certifications in a specific field  

There are several types of accreditation: 

Regional Accreditation 

  • Most prestigious and widely recognized 
  • Credits from a regionally accredited school are more likely to transfer to another regionally accredited school. 
  • Some graduate programs may prefer or require degrees from regionally accredited schools 
  • NWCC (Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities) is the accrediting agency for RTC and other Pacific Northwest colleges & universities with regional accreditation  
  • Regional accreditation is common for public & private nonprofit colleges and universities 

National Accreditation  

  • Typically granted to career, vocational, or for-profit schools 
  • Often less rigorous than regional accreditation 
  • Credits from nationally accredited schools may not transfer to regionally accredited schools 
  • Examples of national accreditation agency: 
    • Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) 
    • Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) 

How to check a school’s accreditation  

If you’re in an AAS or AAS-T career training degree, explore Transfer Pathways.

If you’re earning a DTA transfer degree, explore Washington State colleges & universities that are part of the DTA agreement. You can also search for colleges & universities on a site that allows you to narrow your search by different parameters like location, modality (such as online, hybrid or on-campus classes), type of program & more: 

Look up the school and bachelor's degree online to learn more about the program, career outcomes, how classes are offered (online, hybrid, or in-person), how your classes from RTC could transfer, and what the cost would be. 

Once you find a bachelor's degree program you’re interested in, review the program website to learn about the application requirements, talk to an advisor or program manager there about your next steps and how to prepare, and attend an information session!

A decision on how a course will transfer is up to the receiving institution- the school that is evaluating and accepting your credits to transfer. They will review how a class matches up with the classes they offer, looking to award transfer credit for classes that are comparable to their own and meet program requirements. Here are a few things that affect how classes transfer:  

  • General Education vs Career Training classes:  
    • General Education classes are more likely to transfer than career training or professional classes. These classes cover subjects like  English, Math, and Science and are designed to provide foundational knowledge, a well-rounded education, and critical thinking skills. General Education courses are typically consistent across colleges and universities, making them more transferable and applicable to a wide range of degree programs. 
    • Career Training and Professional classes are focused on developing hands-on, technical skills to prepare for particular jobs or industries. These courses provide specialized training and focus on practical, career-oriented skills.  They are less likely to transfer because they are program specific and may not match the classes or curriculum from other programs or schools.  
    • University General Education Requirements: The first two years of a traditional four-year university bachelor's degree focus on general education classes and taking prerequisite classes to prepare for your major. Every student at the university, in every major, completes the university’s general education requirements to graduate. The final two years of the bachelor's degree are generally when a student is taking major-specific classes. This means most four-year universities are looking for general education classes and major-specific prerequisite classes to transfer in. 
  • Transfer degree vs Career Training Degree: 
    • A DTA (Direct Transfer Agreement) degree is designed to be the first two years of a four-year university bachelor’s degree and prepare students for transfer to a university. The DTA degree is made up of general education classes, as well as prerequisite classes for a specific major- Renton Technical College offers DTA transfer degrees in Business, Pre-Nursing and Computer Science. Learn more about DTA transfer degrees, and see all Washington State schools that participate in the DTA transfer agreement.  
    • A Career Training Degree, either an AAS (Associate of Applied Science) or AAS-T (Associate of Applied Science-Transfer) is designed to prepare students for employment after graduation. An AAS or AAS-T degree is made up of career specific classes that give you hands-on training and experience to prepare for real world careers and industries, along with some general education classes.  AAS and AAS-T degrees typically do not fully transfer to most four-year universities, as career-specific classes are less likely to transfer. However, transfer options do exist. Explore career-focused bachelor’s degree options and transfer pathways.  
  • Accreditation: regionally accredited schools may only accept transfer credit from other regionally accredited schools. Nationally accredited schools may accept transfer credit from both regionally and nationally accredited schools  
  • Transfer Credit Policy: each school will generally have a policy for accepting transfer credit, with a minimum GPA they will accept in transfer or a certain time frame that classes that they can accept transfer credit in  

What can you do when your classes don’t transfer?  

  • Talk to an adviser at the transfer institution to better understand their transfer credit policy, review how your classes transferred, and ask about their transfer credit appeal process 
  • Appeal your transfer credit evaluation: many schools provide the option to appeal a transfer credit evaluation, often by providing more information about the course by sharing the class syllabus and/or course description.  

To transfer your credit from RTC to another school, you’ll need to follow that school’s policy. They will generally have a step-by-step process on how to transfer your credit there. Usually, you’ll need to apply to that school, fill out a form or another way to let them know you’re interested in transferring credit, and then order an official copy of your RTC transcript to be sent directly to that college or university. Talk to an adviser at the transfer institution if you have questions about how to transfer your credit there.

Interested in transferring credit from another school to RTC? Learn about the transfer credit process.

Every university and bachelor’s degree program will have their own application deadline and timeline to apply for transfer. For some programs, they may ask you to apply up to a year in advance- even before you’re finished with your associate’s degree. It's a good idea to start preparing for transfer early on, so you are familiar with application requirements for your future bachelor's degree program and are ready to apply when it’s time. Read through the steps to transfer, and talk to your adviser for help getting started.