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Washington · State guide

Community college transfer in Washington

A complete guide to how to transfer from a community college to a university in Washington — including the state's 36 accredited community colleges, the major receiving universities, and the statewide articulation programs that govern credit transfer.

36
Community colleges
28%
Avg transfer rate
$5,038
In-state tuition / yr
42%
Completion rate

How transfer works in Washington

Two-year colleges in Washington serve as the primary on-ramp to a bachelor's degree for tens of thousands of in-state residents each year. The state's 36 accredited community colleges enroll a median of 8,338 students each, charge an average of $5,038 per year for in-state residents, and transfer roughly 28% of incoming degree-seeking students into a four-year institution within six years.

Like most U.S. states, Washington coordinates community-college-to-university transfers through a combination of statewide articulation agreements, common course-numbering schemes, and institution-specific transfer pathways. A student who completes the state's transfer-oriented associate degree — typically an AA or AS bearing a "transfer" or "university parallel" designation — usually receives junior standing at the receiving public university, with all general-education requirements considered satisfied.

Statewide articulation programs in Washington

Several formal agreements govern how credits move between Washington community colleges and the state's four-year institutions. Understanding which one applies to your intended major is the single most important planning step in your first semester.

Washington Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA)

Min GPA: 2 · State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

A DTA Associate degree from any Washington community college satisfies all lower-division general-education requirements at participating four-year colleges.

Top receiving universities for Washington transfer students

The most common 2+2 destinations for community college students in Washington are the state's flagship and regional public universities. Each has a published transfer-admission policy with a minimum GPA, a credit-hour cap, and an application deadline distinct from the freshman cycle.

UniversitySystemMin transfer GPAApplication window
University of Washington Independent 2.75 Feb 15 (fall) / Dec 15 (winter)
Washington State University Independent 2.5 Jan 31 (fall) / Sep 1 (spring)
Western Washington University Independent 2 Mar 1 (fall)

Costs and aid in Washington

Community college tuition in Washington averages $5,038 per year for in-state residents and $12,138 for out-of-state students. Most colleges layer the federal Pell Grant — worth up to about $7,400 per year for the lowest-income students — with state need-based aid, institutional scholarships, and federal Direct Loans where required. Roughly two of every three community college students in the state receive some form of grant aid, and a substantial minority pay nothing at all out of pocket for tuition once aid is applied.

The practical playbook is the same in every Washington city: pick a target four-year institution before you finish your first semester at the community college, find that school's articulation agreement on the receiving registrar's website, and lock in your course selections accordingly. Skipping this step is the single most common reason transfer students lose credit on the way to the bachelor's degree — surveys regularly find that around forty percent of transfer credit is wasted nationally, almost always because the student picked courses without checking the articulation table first.

Largest community colleges in Washington

Bates Technical College

~10,346 students · transfer rate 23%

Bellevue College

~10,330 students · transfer rate 19%

Renton Technical College

~10,234 students · transfer rate 25%

Shoreline Community College

~10,151 students · transfer rate 32%

Washington Community and Technical Colleges

~10,041 students · transfer rate 30%

Yakima Valley College

~9,388 students · transfer rate 19%

Plan your Washington transfer by program area

Each program-area page below combines Washington's state-specific articulation rules with the typical two-year coursework for that major. Use it to confirm prerequisites and the most common receiving universities for your intended bachelor's.

Every community college in Washington