Apply to Running Start

Before your first day of class at SPSCC, you must attend an On-campus Info Session. (Recommended as first step, but does not have to be done before the rest of the steps below.)

Apply Online to get your Student ID (SID) number. You will receive an email with your SID number after your application is processed, within 3-5 business days.

Set up your SPSCC email account, the email we use to communicate with you and your login to the college network.
Need help? Call 360-596-5544.

To be eligible for Running Start, you must place into or have completed English 101. This can be done in several ways, like taking the College Placement Test at our Assessment Center). See the Running Start Placement Guide for more information.

Meet with your high school counselor to discuss graduation requirements for your high school, then choose how many classes you will complete at high school and at SPSCC. You can look at available classes in the Class Schedule. There is a 15-credit limit to the number of courses you can be enrolled in between high school and SPSCC with full tuition coverage. If you wish to take more credits, you will pay full tuition for the additional credits. See the Running Start Enrollment Verification Form for the funding table and use it to meet with your high school counselor.  

As a new SPSCC student, you must also attend New Student Advising & Registration (NSAR) to register for classes in-person. Bring a photo ID and your list of required graduation course equivalencies.

If you don't bring the form to NSAR, you will have to register as a full tuition paying student.  Tuition is not due at the NSAR unless the tuition due date is passed. Any tuition payment made after the tuition due date will be refunded 100% if you turn in your Running Start Enrollment Verification form by the fifth day of the quarter.  Deliver the form to the One Stop or the Advising Center in Building 22 or email it to advising@spscc.edu.

Each quarter, you must submit the Running Start Enrollment Verification Form (RSEVF) in order to get your tuition waived. Your High School counselor or district rep and your parent or guardian will need to sign the RSEVF before you turn it into SPSCC. Fees and the costs of books and supplies are not covered through the Running Start program.  Fees are due by the tuition due date each quarter. Students with a qualifying financial need may submit for the Fee Waiver & Book Loan program.

Tuition for credits within the funding limits will be paid for you through the Running Start program.  If you take classes under the 100 level or over the credit distribution maximums, you must pay tuition for those credits. If at any time during the quarter you change your credit distributions you may owe additional tuition to the college.

Private school, home school, and degree completion students:
If you are NOT seeking a public high school diploma then you are allowed to enroll in a maximum 15 credits each quarter with tuition paid for through the Running Start program. If at any time you decide to seek a public high school diploma, you will be restricted to the funding limits based on high school enrollment. If you enroll in more than 15 credits, you will pay full tuition on the additional credits. You must turn in a signed Running Start Verification Form each quarter for funding purposes.

• Home School and Private School students: In order to have your college tuition paid through Running Start funds, you first need to enroll in your local public high school. Since districts can have different enrollment processes, it’s best to inquire at the district office about how to enroll for the purpose of accessing Running Start.
  
  Once enrolled, you can complete the process for taking college classes through the Running Start program. Also, while your private school staff can advise you about which college courses meet graduation requirements, the public school counselor or other designated staff must sign off on your Running Start Enrollment Verification Form each term.
• Degree completion students: You will still get your Running Start Enrollment Verification Form signed quarterly by your public high school counselor. Degree completion means focusing on the college degree requirements; the college will issue both the associate degree and high school diploma upon approval of graduation application. You should set up an appointment every quarter prior to registration to meet with an Educational Planner at the college to track your degree progress.