| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public technical college, one of Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges; campus-based, with some hybrid and online programs |
| Campus | One, in Kirkland (Seattle area), Washington |
| Credentials | Bachelor’s (BAS and BS), associate (AAS and AAS-T), Certificates of Proficiency and Completion, and transfer pathways |
| Programs | 12 bachelor’s degrees, 42 associate degrees and 70 certificates, by the college’s count |
| Accreditation | NWCCU, associate and bachelor’s levels, since 1981; full reaccreditation review under way in fall 2026 |
| Federal aid | Yes; 28% of students received need-based aid in 2024-25 |
| 2026-27 tuition | $1,697.30 a quarter for Washington residents at 15 credits (about $5,092 a year), before fees |
| Students | 6,087 headcount, 3,319 full-time equivalent (2024-25, state data) |
| Founded | 1949; independent college since 1991; current name since 2011 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
LWTech: a public technical college in Kirkland, near Seattle
Lake Washington Institute of Technology, known as LWTech, is a public college in Kirkland, an Eastside suburb of Seattle, and one of Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges. It began in 1949 as an adult vocational program of the Lake Washington School District, became an independent college that grants degrees in 1991, and was renamed from Lake Washington Technical College in 2011. The college calls itself the only public institute of technology in Washington.
By its own count, LWTech awards 12 bachelor’s degrees, 42 associate degrees and 70 certificates, in health care, skilled trades, design, IT, business and education. In 2024-25 it enrolled 6,087 students, or 3,319 full-time equivalent, according to state data; 55% studied full-time and the median age was 28.
Programs at LWTech
LWTech runs on quarters and teaches its programs through seven schools: Business, Design, Education, Engineering & Manufacturing, Health Sciences, IT and Transportation Technology. Every program is based at the Kirkland campus. The table shows the main career programs. Credit totals are given for welding; for other programs, check the current catalog.
| Program | Credential | Delivery and admission | Accreditation / approval | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (RN) | Nursing AAS-T; RN-BSN for licensed RNs | On campus; selective admission | ACEN; Washington State Board of Nursing approval | NCLEX-RN |
| Nursing Assistant | Certificate of Completion (with I-BEST support) | On campus | Washington DSHS/DOH approval | Nursing assistant work |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | AAS | On campus; fall start; selective | CAPTE | NPTE for PTAs |
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | AAS-T | On campus; cohorts of 8-18 | ACOTE | NBCOT exam |
| Medical Assisting | AAS; Certificate of Proficiency | Hybrid; fall start; practicum | CAAHEP (certificate only) | CMA (AAMA) exam |
| Dental Hygiene | BAS (no associate route) | On campus; selective | CODA | NBDHE and clinical boards |
| Dental Assistant | Certificate | On campus | CODA | – |
| Funeral Service Education | AAS, two years | Online or on campus; fall start | ABFSE | National Board Exam |
| Funeral Directing and Management | AAS | – | Not ABFSE-accredited | – |
| Welding Technology | AAS, 98 credits; Certificate of Proficiency, 72 credits; Welding Introduction certificate | On campus; age 18+ | – | WABO structural tests |
| Machining Technology | AAS; certificate | On campus | – | – |
| Mechanical Engineering Technology | AAS-T; certificate | On campus | – | Engineering technician work (not an engineering degree) |
| Auto Repair Technician / Auto Body Technician | AAS; certificate (each) | On campus | – | – |
| Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technician | AAS | On campus | – | – |
| Culinary Arts | AAS; Certificate of Completion | 100% on campus; fall and spring starts | ACF | ACF Certified Culinarian |
| Baking Arts | AAS; certificate | On campus | – | – |
| Design | BAS; AAS-T; User-Centered Design AAS-T and Certificate of Proficiency | Hybrid; AAS-T fall and spring, BAS fall | – | – |
| Computing and Software Development | BAS; AAS-T; certificate | Kirkland campus | – | – |
| Computer Security and Network Technology | AAS; AAS-T; certificate | Kirkland campus | – | – |
| Computer Science | BS; transfer pathway | Kirkland campus | – | – |
| Business programs | Accounting AAS; HR Management BAS/AAS-T; Entrepreneurship BAS; Supply Chain BAS; certificates | Kirkland campus | – | – |
| Early Childhood Education | BAS; AAS; certificate | – | – | – |
The college lists programmatic accreditation from ACEN (Nursing), CODA (Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting), CAAHEP (the Medical Assisting Certificate of Proficiency), ACOTE (Occupational Therapy Assistant), CAPTE (Physical Therapist Assistant), ABFSE (the Funeral Service Education AAS only) and the American Culinary Federation (Culinary Arts), plus state approval for Nursing Assistant. Most of the accreditation documents the college posts date from 2016 to 2019 and give no expiry; current status is confirmed separately by the state nursing board for Nursing, by CAPTE for the PTA program, by CODA for Dental Hygiene and by ABFSE for Funeral Service Education.
LWTech has no practical nursing (LPN) program and no engineering degree: Mechanical Engineering Technology is an engineering technology credential, and Engineering, Construction Management and Pre-Nursing are transfer pathways, not job credentials. There is no electrical trades program; Electronics Technology shows no current credential.
What the main programs cover
Nursing (RN)
The Nursing AAS-T is the college’s pre-licensure registered nursing degree, and admission is selective, through a separate application portal. The program is accredited by ACEN and approved by the Washington State Board of Nursing, and graduates sit the NCLEX-RN. A UW Bothell Nurse Scholar transfer agreement guarantees admission there to students who meet its criteria, and licensed RNs can come back for LWTech’s own RN-BSN, a Bachelor of Science. The nursing page does not list credit totals, cohort size or start dates, so ask the program before planning a timeline.
Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting
Dental Hygiene is offered only as a Bachelor of Applied Science, with no associate-degree route, and admission is selective; applicants who are not admitted are pointed to the Health Sciences AAS-T instead. The program is accredited by CODA and prepares students for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and the clinical board exams. Dental Assisting is a separate, shorter certificate, also listed as CODA-accredited, for chairside work in dental offices. Both are taught in the School of Health Sciences on the Kirkland campus.
Medical Assisting
Medical Assisting is a hybrid program, with some coursework online and the rest on the Kirkland campus. Students start in fall and must complete a practicum before finishing. Two credentials are offered, an AAS and a Certificate of Proficiency, and the college lists only the certificate as CAAHEP-accredited, on the recommendation of MAERB. It prepares students for the AAMA’s Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam. A separate Medical Office Administration certificate, taught with I-BEST support, is for medical receptionist and patient-intake roles rather than clinical assisting.
Funeral Service Education
Funeral Service Education is a two-year AAS accredited by ABFSE that can be taken online or on campus. New students start in fall, and places go to those who register first. Online students must already have an embalming internship by the summer before their first fall, so they need a funeral home willing to take them on. Graduates sit the arts and sciences sections of the National Board Exam. The Funeral Directing and Management AAS is a different degree, and ABFSE does not accredit it.
Welding Technology
Welding Technology covers aerospace, fabrication, pipe and structural/plate welding. The AAS takes 98 credits over about two years and the Certificate of Proficiency 72 credits over about one; Welding Introduction is a shorter Certificate of Completion. The college says graduates meet WABO test requirements and comply with American Welding Society standards, and it runs WABO testing on campus for students, graduates and the public. Applicants must be 18 or older. Not every course is offered every quarter, so some students need summer coursework.
Culinary Arts and Baking Arts
Culinary Arts is taught entirely on the Kirkland campus, with starts in fall and spring, and students choose between the AAS and a shorter Certificate of Completion. The college lists American Culinary Federation accreditation for the program, and its page says students can earn the ACF Certified Culinarian credential. Baking Arts is a separate AAS with its own certificate, also in the School of Design. The ACF accreditation the college lists is for Culinary Arts, so check with the college before assuming it covers baking.
Tuition, fees and paying for college
Tuition at Washington’s community and technical colleges is set statewide, so LWTech charges the same rates as the other colleges in the system. For 2026-27, a Washington resident taking 15 credits pays $1,697.30 a quarter, about $5,092 for three quarters, up 3.2% from $1,645.05 in 2025-26. Bachelor’s-level courses are charged at a higher rate.
| 2026-27 tuition per quarter, 15 credits | Associate-level and certificate courses | Bachelor’s-level courses |
|---|---|---|
| Washington residents | $1,697.30 | $2,710.45 |
| Non-residents with the fee waiver* | $1,896.55 | $2,909.70 |
| Non-residents and international students | $3,880.85 | $7,495.80 |
*The fee waiver is for US citizens and permanent residents who have lived in Washington for less than 12 months.
Fees are added to tuition. The college lists campus fees of $49.75 per credit, a $20 wellness fee each term and a technology fee of $4 per credit, capped at $40 a quarter. It labels those fees 2025-26, so they may change for 2026-27; at 15 credits they add $806.25 a quarter. Some programs also charge course fees, for example (2025-26) $138.33 per credit for nursing clinical labs, $53.21 per credit for dental hygiene and automotive courses, $46.65 per credit for auto body and $810 for the funeral service National Board Exam course.
LWTech takes federal and state need-based aid, and 28% of students received need-based aid in 2024-25, according to state data. Niche, using federal data, puts the net price at about $8,801 a year (year not stated).
Open admission, with selective programs
The college has open admission, but Nursing, the RN-BSN, Physical Therapist Assistant, Dental Hygiene and the Bachelor of Applied Science programs, including the Design BAS, admit selectively through a separate portal. Start dates depend on the program: Physical Therapist Assistant and Medical Assisting start in fall; Culinary Arts and the Design AAS-T in fall and spring; the Design BAS and Funeral Service Education in fall. Welding students should note that not every course runs every quarter. The college notes that developmental coursework can lengthen any program.
Accreditation and results
LWTech is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) at the associate and bachelor’s levels. It became a candidate in 1975 and was first accredited in 1981, and NWCCU lists no sanction. NWCCU accepted the college’s Fall 2025 financial and policy review and its Spring 2025 reports. A full reaccreditation review, the Fall 2026 Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness, is under way; public comments closed on 4 October 2026, and no result has been published yet.
| Program | Result | Years and source |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing (RN), NCLEX-RN | 88.06% (2021), 88.10% (2022), 68.42% (2023), 87.50% (2024), 74.29% (2025) | Washington State Board of Nursing, Feb 2026 report |
| Physical Therapist Assistant, first-time NPTE pass | 85% (2021), 76.9% (2022), 88.9% (2023), 70.0% (2024), 88.9% (2025); ultimate pass 85% to 100% | Cohort years, program outcomes page |
| Physical Therapist Assistant, graduation and jobs | Graduation 82% to 100% a year; employment within one year 100% in every year | Cohorts 2021-2025, program outcomes page |
| Occupational Therapy Assistant, NBCOT exam | 100% (2023, 11 of 11), 92% (2024, 11 of 12), 100% (2025, 7 of 7); graduation 79% over the three years (30 of 38) | Class years, program outcomes page |
| Funeral Service Education, National Board Exam | Arts 94% (national 78%) and Sciences 88% (national 73%) in 2024; Arts 95% (national 78%) and Sciences 95% (national 69%) in 2023; Arts 82% (national 69%) and Sciences 55% (national 64%) in 2022 | Program outcomes page |
| Funeral Service Education, jobs | Employed 89% overall and 74% in funeral service (2024); graduation 86% within 1.5 times program length (2022-2024) | Program outcomes page |
| Medical Assisting, credentialing exam | 86.11% (2020), 80.00% (2021), 88.24% (2022), 91.67% (2023), 80.00% (2024); 84.76% cumulative | Program page |
| College-wide | Graduation rate 37%; median earnings $55,025 five years after graduation | Federal data reported by Niche, checked Oct 2026 (cohort years not given) |
The Washington State Board of Nursing expects nursing programs to keep a first-time NCLEX pass rate of at least 80%. LWTech’s results were below that level in 2023 and 2025; the board’s January 2026 list still shows the program as approved. The board’s table counts candidates who passed out of those tested and does not say whether only first attempts are counted.
Before you enroll
- Nursing pass rates have been uneven: 68.42% in 2023 and 74.29% in 2025, both under the state board’s 80% first-time benchmark, between results of about 88% in other years.
- Funeral Service Education can be studied online, but the college says it has not determined whether the curriculum meets licensure requirements outside Washington. Check that you are applying to the ABFSE-accredited Funeral Service Education AAS, not the Funeral Directing and Management AAS.
- Open admission gets you into the college, not into Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Dental Hygiene or a bachelor’s program; each has its own selective application.
- There is no engineering degree: Mechanical Engineering Technology is an engineering technology credential, and Engineering and Construction Management are transfer pathways only.
- Fees are on top of tuition: about $806 a quarter in campus fees at 15 credits (2025-26 figures), plus course fees in programs such as nursing, dental hygiene and automotive.
The Kirkland campus
LWTech has one campus, at 11605 132nd Avenue NE in the Totem Lake area of north Kirkland, and NWCCU lists no branch campuses or additional locations. Every program is based here, including the health sciences programs, the welding, machining and transportation shops, and the School of Design, whose new Center for Design and Event Center opened in September 2026.
Clinicals, internships and testing on campus
Hands-on work outside the classroom is built into several programs: the Medical Assisting practicum, the embalming internship that online Funeral Service Education students must already have, and nursing clinicals, which carry their own lab fee. The college runs WABO welding tests on campus for students, graduates and the public. Nursing students who meet the criteria of the UW Bothell Nurse Scholar agreement are guaranteed admission there. The college does not list student housing; international students are offered homestays.
What students say
On Niche, Lake Washington Institute of Technology is rated 4.08 out of 5 from 229 reviews, with an overall grade of C (checked 12 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise knowledgeable, supportive faculty, the range of technical and health care programs with hands-on learning, modern labs and facilities, and helpful counseling and career advising. The most common complaints are cold classrooms in winter, few social events and little sense of community, and coursework that some students want to be more challenging. The reviews cover the whole college, and we could not tell whether they were invited by the school or posted in bursts.
Sources
Checked October 2026: LWTech: Our Story · Tuition and fees · Accreditation · NWCCU directory · SBCTC Field Guide 2026 · Washington State Board of Nursing NCLEX pass rates · PTA outcomes · Niche
Programs & Courses
Health Sciences
- Nursing (RN, AAS-T)
- RN-BSN (for licensed RNs)
- Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Physical Therapist Assistant
- Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Medical Assisting
- Medical Office Administration
- Dental Hygiene (BAS)
- Dental Assistant
- Funeral Service Education
- Funeral Directing and Management
- Public Health (BAS)
- Behavioral and Social Services
- Health Sciences (AAS-T)
Engineering and Manufacturing
- Welding Technology
- Machining Technology
- Mechanical Engineering Technology
- Engineering (transfer pathway)
Transportation Technology
- Auto Repair Technician
- Auto Body Technician
- Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technician
Design and Culinary
- Culinary Arts
- Baking Arts
- Design (BAS, AAS-T)
- User-Centered Design
- Illustration
- Game Design and Development
- Architectural Technology
- Environmental Horticulture
- Sewing
Business
- Accounting
- Business Technology
- Human Resource Management
- Applied Management – Entrepreneurship (BAS)
- Transportation, Logistics & Supply Chain Management (BAS)
- Project Management
- Construction Management (transfer pathway)
Information Technology
- Computer Science (BS)
- Computing and Software Development
- Computer Security and Network Technology
Education
- Early Childhood Education
- Parenting Education
Campus Locations
Seattle (Kirkland), WA 11605 132nd Avenue NE, Kirkland, WA 98034