Lake Washington Technical Academy
West Building, W210
(425) 739-8107

Lake Washington Technical Academy offers eligible high school junior and senior students, ages 16 to 21, the opportunity to train for a career and work toward a high school diploma. Students must be 16 years old or younger than 21 years old before September 1 to enter that academic year. Lake Washington Technical Academy is accredited by the Northwest Association Accredited Schools and is a full-time high school program on the campus of Lake Washington Technical College. Eligible students must enroll full-time in a technical training program and general education classes to complete the high school diploma.

To be eligible for Lake Washington Technical Academy, students must achieve the following COMPASS placement test scores: Writing 31 (ENGL 093); Reading 71 (ENGL 092) and Pre-Algebra 18 (MATH 070). Additional criteria are completion of 10th grade, have taken the WASL (not neccessary to pass), and attendance at a required Lake Washington Technical Academy orientation session. Qualified students are admitted quarterly (except summer). For further information, call (425)739-8107 or visit our Web site at www.lwtc.ctc.edu/academy.

Running Start

Running Start is a program designed for high school juniors and seniors, who are ready for college-level work, want to take college-level courses, and want to receive both college and high school credit while completing high school. Admission to Lake Washington Technical College for Running Start students requires the approval of the high school that the student attends, a 2.5 GPA in high school, and minimum COMPASS scores of 70 writing (English 100/101), and 39 pre-algebra (math 80 or meet the higher math requisite for the technical program) or equivalent ASSET scores. A reading score of 85 is recommended and is used for advising & placement.

A Running Start student’s tuition is paid by the student’s local school district. Students are generally responsible for fees, textbooks, supplies, and equipment expenses in most cases. For information, contact the Running Start coordinator in the West Building, W210, or call (425)739-8107.

General Education Development

General Education Development (GED) is a series  of five tests developed by the American Council on Education to enable persons to obtain the equivalency of a high school diploma. Earning a GED provides students with greater access to employment, advancement and higher education opportunities.

The Academic Skills Center offers GED preparation classes and pre-tests.

All students under the age of 19 will need to obtain a release from their school district to test for the GED. Two pieces of ID are required at the time of testing.

The college is a designated testing center for GED exams. Testing appointments must be scheduled in advance either by visiting the Assessment Center, West Building, W204, or by calling (425)739-8115. For more GED information, please visit www.lwtc.ctc.edu/assessment.

High School Completion

This is a program which allows students 18 years of age or older to take college-level classes to meet Washington state high school diploma requirements. The student must have credits in required areas of English, math, science, social sciences, PE, fine arts, and vocational education, plus elective classes to total 19 credits. A five-credit college course equals one high school credit. Prospective students must submit an official high school transcript for evaluation. This option is only recommended for students who need 1-3 classes to meet diploma requirements. Upon completion of requirements, the student will be awarded an Adult High School completion diploma by Lake Washington Technical College.

Underage Enrollment

To be eligible for admissions and enrollment, students must be 18 or possess a high school diploma or GED. High school juniors or seniors are referred to the Lake Washington Technical Academy or Running Start to explore eligibility through those programs. If a student is not participating in or is not eligible for those programs, and wishes to register for courses that are not specifically designed for a younger student, he/she may ask to enroll on exception. Persons requesting this exception must be at least 14 and in the 9th grade at the time of enrollment. The student must request special enrollment for each course, each quarter. This does not constitute admission to the college or a program.

The process to request permission to enroll in each course is:

1.  The student must be not eligible for general college admission, or be enrolled through other special entry programs

2.  The student completes and submits to High School Programs Office an underage enrollment form with the following materials attached or completed:

• Copy of test scores taken in last 2 years showing minimum scores of:

	WRITING	READING	NUMERICAL  SKILLS
ASSET	45	44	42
COMPASS	79	85	60

• letter from student requesting the course to be taken and explaining in writing why his/her educational needs cannot be met elsewhere.
• letter of support from parent/guardian supporting student’s request.  

3.  The student must meet with the instructor of the course to obtain written recommendation to be enrolled. For non-credit classes only, Extended Learning staff may sign for the instructor.

4.  The Associate Dean of High School Programs or Vice President of Student Services may review and make a final decision. Enrollment Services staff verify all needed approvals are in place.

5.  Special classes and programs designed for students younger than 18 are exempt from the special enrollment process for underage students.

The above procedures are subject to change. The college reserves the right to deny requests for exceptions to the standard enrollment policy and age requirements, or to require additional information.

Tech Prep

Tech Prep is a partnership between Lake Washington Technical College, the Northeast Tech Prep Consortium, and 27 high schools. This partnership allows students taking classes in a high school with courses that are articulated with Lake Washington Technical College to receive college credit while attending their home high school.

Northeast Tech Prep Consortium staff visit the high schools to enroll and register students in selected college courses. Students pay a $25 non-refundable annual fee to register and receive a college credit. Credit is awarded to students who receive a B grade or higher in their high school courses.

Students who have received Tech Prep credit and complete high school will be eligible to register as a continuing student at the college. For more information please see our Web site at www.lwtc.ctc.edu/techprep (opens new window).