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How to Apply

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How to Apply 2024-01-03T12:38:36+00:00

How to Apply for Financial Aid

The following steps will show you how to navigate the Financial Aid Application Process.

Step 1: Apply for Admission to Highline College

The application is free and takes about 10 minutes to complete. If you are already enrolled at Highline, you may skip this step.

  • Complete your Application for Admission.
  • Only students planning to complete a degree at Highline College are eligible for Financial Aid.
  • Declare your intended degree on your Highline Admissions Application. Students with undeclared degrees, or who sign up for classes that are not required for their stated degree will be denied financial aid.
  • If you decide to change your degree after you submit your Application for Admissions, you must contact the Admissions office to have your degree updated.

Step 2: Complete the FAFSA or WASFA Application Online

Complete the FAFSA (most students) or the WASFA (DACA and/or HB1079) as early as possible, preferably in the month of October the year before you want to go to school. The applications can be completed at any time but the earlier the better.

FAFSA

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You will need an FSA ID to electronically sign your completed FAFSA which you can complete at the same time as you do the FAFSA.  You can also click here to watch a video about getting your FSA ID.

Make sure you’re completing the FAFSA for the right year you plan to be in school. Completing the wrong year FAFSA can have devastating consequences, so be careful.

  • The 2023-24 FAFSA covers quarters: Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024.
  • The 2024-25 FAFSA covers quarters: Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025.

Include Highline College on your FAFSA application using school code 003781.

Print the FAFSA confirmation page as evidence of the submission date and keep it safe.

About 3-5 days after you submit the FAFSA you will receive a Student Aid Report via email. The Student Aid Report is your receipt of the information you put on the FAFSA.

About 10 business days after you submit the FAFSA, Highline will gain access to your FAFSA information.

WAFSA

If you are an undocumented student who qualifies for HB-1079 or DACA, you should complete the WASFA.

Go to the WASFA Application and complete the WASFA by following the link “Washington Application for State Financial Aid” under the heading “Next Steps”.

Make sure you’re completing the WASFA for the right year you plan to be in school. Completing the wrong year WASFA can have devastating consequences, so be careful.

  • The 2023-24 WASFA covers quarters: Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024.
  • The 2024-25 WASFA covers quarters: Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025.

After you complete and submit the WASFA, Highline College should receive it within 10-20 business days.

Step 3: Receive the Welcome Letter and Missing Document Letter

Once you’ve submitted your FAFSA or WASFA application, Highline will send you a Welcome Letter via email to confirm. Keep an eye out for a Missing Document Letter, as you may be asked for extra information.

To avoid delays in receiving your financial aid, make sure to check your ctcLink Student Portal for any missing documents and submit them within 10 days. Please note that the Highline College Financial Aid Office requires 10 days to process all submitted documents. How to Review To Do Lists in the ctcLink Student Portal.

NOTE: Once we receive your documents they will disappear from your ctcLink Portal To Do List or Task Tile.

Step 4: Watch for Additional Requests for Information

During the review of your application for financial aid, it is common for the Financial Aid Office to need you to clarify information.  We will send you a Missing Document Letter if we need more information. (See Step 3 above).

Check your email and ctcLink Student Portal Task Tile/ To Do List multiple times a week for Financial Aid requests, even after receiving aid.

Step 5: Your Financial Aid Offer Letter or Determination Letter

Your application for financial aid can have one of two outcomes, you could receive a Financial Aid Offer Letter or a Determination Letter—both will be sent to you via email.

Financial Aid Offer Letter

The Financial Aid Offer Letter details all of the available financial aid funding that Highline can offer you to attend during the Academic Year and shows what you can expect each quarter.

Video: Understanding Your Financial Aid Offer

You will receive funding for full-time enrollment unless stated otherwise in your offer. If you plan on taking less than 12 credits per quarter, your financial aid may change. Typically, students enrolled ¾ time will receive 75% of their full-time award, while half-time students may receive 50%-0% and less than half-time students may receive 25%-0% (sometimes 0%) of their full-time award. It’s important to note that the amount of funding you receive is dependent on your enrollment level.

Enrollment LevelCredit RangeFinancial Aid Adjustment
Full-time12 or moreGrants at 100%
Three-quarter-time9-11Grants at 75%
Half-time6-8Grants between 0%- 50%
Less than half-time1-5Grants between 0%-25%, most often 0%

Determination Letter

If we determine that you are not eligible for financial aid, you will be sent a Determination Letter that explains why you are not eligible, and if possible, how you can regain eligibility.

Step 6: Accept Your Financial Aid Offer Letter

Students have 30 days (unless otherwise stated in the letter) to accept their financial aid.  Accept your financial aid within 30 days or it will be canceled and awarded to someone else. You can decline it later if you change your mind. There is no exception to this policy, so it’s important that you accept your financial aid as soon as possible.

It’s important to know your rights and responsibilities as a Financial Aid recipient. Read the Terms and Conditions carefully before accepting your Awards. The Terms and Conditions section of your Financial Aid Offer outlines these details. By accepting your Awards, you confirm that you have read, understand, and will adhere to all the Terms and Conditions. If you have any questions, contact the Financial Aid Office for clarification. How to Accept or Decline Awards in ctcLink Student Portal.

Schedule your highly recommended 30-minute meeting with Financial Aid

During your individual appointment with a member of the Financial Aid team, you will discuss the following subjects:

  • Budget for the academic year
  • Sign up for BankMobile Disbursements, the payment plan, or a student loan
  • Disbursement of your financial aid funds
  • Review the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy

You have 30 days to schedule your meeting, which can be done in person or via Zoom.

To schedule your appointment go to Schedule an Appointment. If you are new to Aviso/Watermark, please watch the video “How To Make An Appointment Using Aviso”.

  • Select “Accepted Award Letter Mandatory Meeting” in the meeting type.

Loans are available at Highline College. If you are interested in loans, please complete the Loan Request Form under our Forms section.

Choose Your BankMobile Disbursements Refund Option

Students only need to do this once. If you have already selected your refund option, you may skip this step.

Highline College has partnered with BankMobile Disbursements, a financial services company serving higher education, for students to receive their financial aid and scholarship funds. To view our institution’s contract with BankMobile Disbursements, a Division of Customer’s Bank.

Students will sign up with BankMobile Disbursements through their website once they receive the activation code via email. Students will choose one of 3 refund options during sign-up, the BankMobile VIBE account, Direct Deposit, or paper check. Highline College strongly recommends that students choose Direct Deposit or the BankMobile VIBE account options.

Check My Financial Aid Status

Students can now check on the status of their Financial Aid Application 24/7.  Using your Highline login credentials, students can check the status of their application, what that status means, and what their next step should be in the process. By clicking the button below you will be taken to a tool to check the status of your  FAFSA/WASFA application.

Check My Status

Financial Aid Application Timeline for 2023-24

The Financial Aid Application process is a multi-step process that generally takes an average of 2 months to complete. The majority of the 2 months can be increased and decreased by your participation in the process.

The following is a timetable to help you estimate the time needed to submit your financial aid application.

Quarter and YearDate to Complete the FAFSA/WASFATuition and Fee Due Date
Fall 2023 June 21, 2023September 11, 2023
Winter 2024 October 4, 2023December 26, 2023
Spring 2024 November 27, 2023March 18, 2024
Summer 2024 April 12, 2024Estimated Date June 12, 2024

Note, that the Highline Financial Aid Office will no longer hold students in their classes pending financial aid. If you do not have a signed Financial Aid Award Letter on the Tuition and Fee Due Date, you are responsible for 100% of your fees.

Helpful Financial Aid Videos