Students may begin earning their degrees at Highline if they meet the following criteria:

For individuals who are 16 to 18 years old, Highline offers the Running Start or High School Enhancement programs. The phone number for both programs is (206) 878-3710, ext. 3583. For more information, see Highline School Programs Web site.

Application forms may be submitted to the Admissions/Entry Services office any time during the year. Applying early will guarantee a registration date, giving early applicants an advantage in registering for classes that may fill quickly.

Anyone eligible for admission who misses the deadline for priority registration may register during the open registration session.

Students may register for continuous enrollment classes after the quarter has started, if space is available. Registration is complete when the necessary enrollment forms are submitted and all tuition and fees have been received.

Some professional-technical programs with limited enrollments have special admissions procedures. Some programs have academic prerequisites that must be completed prior to acceptance into the program. Students interested in enrolling in these programs should contact Admissions/Entry Services for information about special procedures and requirements.

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International Students
Residents (citizens) of any country outside the United States who wish to apply as international students (non-immigrants and non-U.S. citizens) must submit the following documents to the International Student Programs office in Building 9or online at www.highline.edu/stuserv/international/admissions:

If all of the admission requirements are satisfied and the student is admitted to Highline, an I-20 form will be issued.

All application materials should be obtained from and returned to the following address:

To contact International Student Programs, call (206) 870-3725 or fax (206) 870-3738 or email  int@highline.edu.

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Deadlines and Other Procedures for International Students:
All documents must be received no later than one month before the quarter begins. See the “Academic Calendars” section for start dates. Highline Community College has four quarters: fall, winter, spring, and summer. International students may begin any quarter except summer quarter. Only transfer students studying within the United States may begin summer quarter.

International students must enroll in at least 12 credits each quarter and maintain a 2.0 grade point average. International students are classified as nonresident students and are required to pay the nonresident tuition rate regardless of the length of stay in Washington State.

All international students are required to have major medical insurance. They must purchase insurance through the college or provide proof of equivalent insurance from their own country.

International students are not eligible for financial assistance. Opportunities for on-campus employment are extremely limited. International students are not eligible to work off campus except in some very special circumstances. They should assume that no money will be available from the college or employment while they are attending Highline. Therefore, international students must have sufficient funding to live and study in the United States to be accepted by Highline Community College.

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Students Returning After Time Away (STRATA)
Students returning to Highline after being away for a quarter or more should contact the Admissions/Entry Services office to reactivate their records. It is also a good idea for returning students to meet with an adviser since programs and procedures may have changed while they were away.

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Transfer Students

Transferring into Highline
Highline honors academic credits earned at other regionally accredited institutions that are equivalent in academic level and nature to work offered at Highline. Highline subscribes to the statewide Policy on Inter-College Transfer and Articulation among Washington Public Colleges and Universities agreed to by the regionally accredited colleges and universities of Washington and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and adopted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board in February 1986. The policy describes the rights and responsibilities of students and the review and appeal process in transfer credit disputes.

Students who are transferring from another college should request that official transcripts from all other accredited schools they have attended be sent to the Registration office at Highline. Students must also submit a “Request to Evaluate Transcripts” form and official transcripts to the Credentials Evaluator to have transfer credits evaluated for application to a particular certificate or degree program at Highline. Transcripts will not be evaluated without a request form. Forms are available in the Registration office and in Admissions/Entry Services in Building 6. When the evaluation is complete, a printed transcript evaluation will be mailed. An official transcript is sealed in the institution’s envelope. Once the seal is broken the transcript is no longer official.

Washington community and technical colleges (CTCs) offer reciprocity to transfer degree-seeking students who move from college to college within the CTC system. Students who have fulfilled entire areas of their transfer degree requirements at one college—for example, Quantitative Skills, Communications, or Distribution Area requirements—will be considered to have met those same requirements if they transfer to another community or technical college in Washington. Students must initiate the review process and must be prepared to provide necessary documentation. For complete information, students should contact the Graduation Evaluator’s office in Building 6, (206) 878-3710, ext. 3323.

Transferring from Highline
Students who plan to transfer from Highline to a four-year college or university should study the following information. For more information, contact the Transfer Center, (206) 878-3710, ext. 3295 or transfer@highline.edu.

Students planning to transfer to another college or university must meet the admission requirements of that institution at the time of transfer. Transferability of classes taken at Highline is determined by the institution to which the student transfers. Most Highline classes designed to transfer do so without a problem. Certain institutions, however, may limit the number of credits earned in a Credit/No Credit system or may have limits on certain classes.

Classes designed for professional-technical degrees and certificates are not usually transferable to four-year institutions. Students should work closely with their advisers before attempting to transfer classes that are special components of an occupational program. Other types of restricted credits for transfer include course challenges, credit by examination, military experience, CLEP, DANTES, and other nontraditional credit.

An institution to which an official transcript is sent may recompute the grade point average of the student in accordance with its own requirements and policies.

Transfer Credit Appeals
Students who encounter transfer difficulties should first seek resolution through the receiving institution’s transfer officer. If not resolved at this level, students may appeal in writing to Highline’s Registrar. Highline’s transfer officers will attempt to resolve the problem. If the transfer officers cannot resolve the dispute within two weeks, the matter will be referred to both institutions’ chief academic officers. Within two weeks after the academic officers have conferred, a decision will be rendered by the chief academic officer of the receiving institution.