Under Age 18 Admissions

You are an “Under Age Student" if these three points are true:

  1. You will be younger than 18 during the quarter you would like to take classes;
  2. You are not in the Running Start program; and
  3. You have not earned your GED® or High School Diploma.

If these points are not true for you, learn about other High School Options to earn college credit, or High School Completion options.

Being an Under Age Student at SPSCC is meant to enrich your academic learning, not replace your secondary school experience.

Under Age Student Guidelines

  • Students must be at least age 14 at the time they begin courses.
  • Students may take up to five credits during their first quarter. If the student does well in their first quarter, they may be able to take more credits the next quarter.
  • Financial aid and scholarships are not available for Under Age students. Students are responsible for paying tuition and fees, or setting up a payment plan, by the tuition due date each quarter.
  • Students need approval to enroll every quarter. SPSCC can deny admissions or continued enrollment due to social-emotional readiness, failing grades, or parent or guardian interference in admissions or academic learning.

Ask Yourself

Before you get enrolled as an Under Age Student, ask yourself these questions.

Am I ready to engage with adult learners?

SPSCC serves our entire community, so you may be in class with other high schoolers or older adult learners; our average student age is 28. It is important that you have the social and emotional maturity to interact with a diverse range of individuals who bring various life experience to the classroom setting.

Am I ready to be responsible for my own academic learning?

Your parent or guardian will not be able to sit in class with you, interact with your instructors, or turn in work for you. College is an adult learner environment and you will be expected to take on the same responsibilities as any other student.

Am I ready to take on the workload of a college course?

For every credit you are enrolled in, you should expect one to two additional hours of work on your own time. This means one 5 credit class will require 10-15 hours of your time per week. Time management and organizational skills are critical to college success.

If you feel confident in your ability to be an independent learner in a college environment, follow the Steps to Enroll as an Under Age Student.

Steps to Enroll as an Under Age Student

Step 1: Schedule an Admissions Meeting

In order to make sure Under Age enrollment is right for you, it is best to start with an Admissions Meeting with the Director of K12 Partnerships & Recruitment. At this meeting, you'll review college readiness and expectations and talk about the admission process. A parent or guardian is encouraged to attend this meeting with the student.

Email outreach@spscc.edu to schedule your meeting and please make sure your email includes:

  • Student’s name (first and last)
  • Student’s current grade level & school (or indicate homeschooled)
  • Parent/Guardian name

While not a required step, this can be very useful in walking through the admissions process! If you feel confident in your ability to move forward, you can move on to Step 2 without an admissions meeting.

Step 2: Apply

Submit a free admissions application online. When filling out your application, you will want to select the following:

  • College: South Puget Sound Community College
  • I will be enrolling as a…: First Year
  • Program: Non-Award Seeking
  • Term: the term you wish to start classes
  • Degree or Certificate: Non-degree- Other
  • Academic Focus Area: None

Fill out the rest of the application as the information applies to you. Please make sure to review that the student’s name and date of birth are on the application! Auto-fill is a tricky thing and if the parent/guardian information gets loaded in by mistake you will have to come to Enrollment Services with a photo ID in order to get it corrected.

Step 3: Submit the Under Age Enrollment Form

The Under Age Enrollment Form (below) requires review and signatures from your school counselor or K-12 administrator. Once complete, send the form to outreach@spscc.edu.

Under Age Enrollment Form

Step 4: Activate Your Student Accounts

When your application and Under Age Enrollment forms have been processed, you’ll receive an acceptance email with your ctcLink ID. Use your ctcLink ID to activate your two student accounts.

Step 5: Get Placed

Under Age Students are required to take the English Guided Self Placement (GSP) to assess college-level reading and writing readiness. After activating your ClipperID, go to the GSP Surveys page and log in using your ClipperID and password. Complete the GSP Survey online using a computer. The English GSP must be completed before you can enroll in classes. 

Math

If you are looking to take a math course or course with a math prerequisite there are two ways to place- either with completion of high school math courses used for placement or by taking the appropriate MATH WAMAP exam. You can learn more about math placement on the Options for Placement page.

Please keep in mind that until a student has completed Algebra II or Integrated III at the high school there are very few math placement options available at the college. We highly encourage students to stay enrolled in their high school math program until completion of Algebra II or Integrated III.

Email assessment@spscc.edu or call 360-596-5770 if you have additional placement questions.

Step 6: Register for Your Class

Once you have completed your enrollment steps above, you will email the Director of K12 Partnerships & Recruitment to complete your registration. They will set up a meeting with you to review your admissions, placement, and the class you wish to register for. A parent or guardian is encouraged to attend this meeting with the student.