Frequently Asked Questions
Need more information? The answers to many common Running Start questions can be found here.
Students enrolled at a Washington State public high school with junior or senior standing. You must also show eligibility for either college-level English or college-level math.
New Students
New Running Start students must apply to Seattle Central College, complete placement into college-level English (ENGL&101) or college-level math, and submit a complete Running Start Enrollment Packet. Please see Steps to Enroll.
Current Students
Current Running Start students at Central must turn in a new Enrollment Verification Form each quarter. Once it is signed by you, a guardian, and high school counselor, email your EVF to runningstart.central@seattlecolleges.edu for processing.
- The Running Start program covers up to two years of free college tuition for eligible classes. Up to 21 credits of tuition for college-level courses may be covered, depending on the number of classes taken at the high school.
- Running Start does not cover tuition or course fees for self-paced courses and courses that are below 100 level (e.g., Math 098, English 099).
Most credits will transfer to WA state schools and universities. We suggest contacting each school you plan to apply to and see what is transferrable.
If you’re eligible for free or reduced lunch at your high school, you are eligible to have your class fees waived and you can participate in our book voucher program each quarter.
Yes, Running Start students at Seattle Central College are required to place into either college-level English or math to be eligible to participate in the program.
Students are responsible for ordering and paying for official transcripts from Seattle Central College. Running Start advisors cannot provide official transcripts.
Unofficial transcripts may be retrieved from the ctcLink Student Homepage through the Academic Records tile.
Students that are full-time in their junior and senior year have the potential to accrue enough credits to complete an associates degree by the time they’re finished as a high school senior. If you are interested in completing a degree at Central, it does take some planning, and we recommend meeting with your academic advisor to discuss degree requirements and plan out your classes. You can find the name of your academic advisor in Starfish.
Yes, homeschooled and private school students can participle in Running Start. However, you must enroll at a public high school as well. You will be required to meet with your public school high school counselor quarterly to complete your Enrollment Verification Form.
We accept students to enroll in Running Start for fall, winter, and spring quarters. Rising-juniors and rising-seniors are also eligible to start Running Start in the summer quarter.
Priority deadlines for the 2025-2026 academic year are:
- Winter 2026 quarter – October 24, 2025
- Spring 2026 quarter – January 30, 2026
- Fall and Summer 2026 quarters – May 1, 2026
Applications will continue to be accepted after the priority deadlines through the start of the quarter. Class availability and choice may be limited if students apply after the priority deadline. We strongly encourage new students to submit their Running Start enrollment packet no later than 2 weeks before the quarter begins to ensure students have enough time to get registered, prepared and ready to start on the first day of the quarter.
Yes, rising-juniors and rising-seniors are eligible for up to 10 credits through Running Start in the summer quarter. Student will need to complete the summer Running Start Enrollment Verification Form in order to register.