Running Start

To be admitted to Tacoma Community College's Running Start program, a student must:

• Be enrolled in a public high school.

* Home-schooled students will either enroll through their local public high school or school district.

* Private school students can have dual enrollment at both private and public high schools for access to Running Start classes.

• Be a junior or senior according to their high school.
• Display college-level English skills. College-level Math placement is not required for admission to the program. However, students who plan to enroll in math or sciences courses using Running Start must place at college level math.

• High school graduation requirements are established by the high school. Each quarter, students meet with their high school counselor to identify how TCC courses will apply toward graduation.
• Students with high school grade-point-averages of less than 2.50 are admitted, but may be advised to enroll in a college success course their first quarter in the program. Students at Tacoma Community College must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or above and complete all courses. If a student falls below academic standard, they are placed on a series of warning, probation, and then suspension from the program.

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Since Spring Quarter of 2022, TCC has resumed offering in-person learning opportunities. For more information about TCC's COVID response, you can click here.

There will still be full online learning options for those that want them. Most online classes are taught in an asynchronous manner. In asynchronous classes, students can work on their own time. Click here for more information about TCC's online learning modalities.

We also have hybrid courses, which involve a student coming to campus only two or three days a week for in-person lecture— and the remainder of their course is taught online.

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We encourage both students and parents to read the material in this section.

Additionally, meet with your high school counselor to determine your Junior or Senior level standing. It is important that students take the time to discuss their college readiness, future goals, financial obligations, and transportation requirements when meeting with their high school counselor.

 

STEP 1: APPLY

ATTENTION, THIS IS A MULTI-STEP PROCESS.

Students apply to TCC first (below). Once completed, students, in addition, need to complete the Running Start Application. This will be emailed to the student once the TCC application is complete. 

APPLY NOW

Using the yellow button above, complete an online Application for Admission to Tacoma Community College. Make sure to select "Running Start" as your Admit Type. Additionally, please do not use a school email as your contact when setting up your application. This is to avoid issues when processing your application.

Within three business days of you applying to the college, you will receive an email from the Admissions department at Tacoma Community College.
This email will contain your ctcLink ID-- which is your Student ID number here at the college. Make sure to keep this number for your records.

The video below is a step-by-step walkthrough of how to complete the online application for the college.

The button below will give you a step-by-step Application Guide you can also follow if you prefer text instructions.

Running Start Application Guide

STEP 2: SEND US YOUR ENGLISH QUALIFYING MEASURES

After completeing your online admissions to the college, you will automatically receive instructions about uploading your qualifying measures to us. These instructions will be sent to you via your personal email.

Qualifying for the Running Start program is usually done by earning a "B-" grade or higher in either your sophomore (10th grade) or junior (11th grade) English class. If that is not satisfied by your grades, you can also qualify for the program by meeting any of the following alternative placement measures:

• an ACT score of 19 or higher
• SAT scores with a Reading/Writing average of 460 or above
• 10th grade Smarter Balance Assessment scores (SBAC) of level 3 or 4
• High School transcript showing a B- or better in one semester of 10^th or 11^th grade English.

 

 -WHAT ABOUT MATH?

Math placement is not a requirement for acceptance into the Running Start program. However, depending on which classes you plan to take, or which degree you are interested in, a math placement will need to be on file. These are the different methods in which you can get Math Placement:

• A Math SAT (not PSAT) score of 550+ or ACT score of 23+.
  This will allow you to take the following Math courses: 96/140, 107, 131/132, 146, or 147.
• Submitting your high school transcript with Advanced Algebra or higher course work.
  You will need to have either: a full year of Advanced Algebra, or a first semester transcript along with your second semester progress report.

If you are a home schooled student or you have out-of-state high school transcripts, then you cannot be placed using your high school transcript. In this situation, you must take the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment. For more information on that, please email Running Start at: Runstart@tacomacc.edu. .

STEP 3: RUNNING START APPLICATION FORM

Once you've emailed us your qualifications, then we will send you your very own digital Running Start Application Form. Please follow the step-by-step directions in the online form carefully, and make sure to include all the requested materials. Finish by submitting the form digitally.

STEP 4: NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

When we've received all the information from your Running Start Application, we will then schedule you for a Running Start New Student Orientation. In this session you will go over: the important procedures within the program, some of the resources you have available to you here at TCC, and also meet your assigned Running Start Advisor for the first time.

STEP 5: REGISTER FOR CLASSES

After completing the orientation, you will then be able to register for your classes.

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One of the main benefits of Running Start is that the cost of college tuition is paid for. However, there are still other costs associated with the program.

Students within the Running Start program are responsible for paying for textbooks for their courses. It is also the student's responsibility to pay for all Student Fees. These fees include: campus fees, parking fees, security fees, technology fees, and specific class fees related to the course(s) you are taking. For example: purchasing clay for a pottery course, lab manuals for a science course, etc.Back to top

Running Start Students cannot apply for federal student aid, as they do not meet the requirements to do so. However, students can choose to register for TCC's  OER (Open Education Resources) courses. OER courses have no textbooks, or significantly reduced-- $50 or less-- textbook costs.  For math courses, TCC also offers a graphing calculator rental program through our Math Advising Resource Center.

Outside of that, the Running Start program has a financial assistance program for students who meet any of the following:

• qualify for free-or-reduced lunch at their high school
• have TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits
• are a part of the McKinney-Vento or foster care system

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• Home schooled students of junior or senior status are encouraged to take advantage of Running Start. You may attend full-time or part-time, and take classes that would be used toward an Associate Degree.
• Home school students enroll in Running Start through their local high school, or their school district office. Home school students are not required to meet high school graduation requirements.
• To qualify for Running Start, a home schooled student must display college-level English skills. You can show this by having a "B-" grade or higher in your Sophmore or Junior English. We don’t require math placement for admission into the program, but if you plan to enroll in any math or science courses in Running Start, you must show you have college-level math skills by:
  
  • Taking the Math SAT (not PSAT) and earning a score of 560 or above.
  • Completing the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment.
• To qualify for free tuition, you will need to enroll through your local high school or school district office and fill out an Intent for Home-Based Instruction form the year prior to accessing Running Start. Note that students in Running Start are required to pay for textbooks, and Student Fees. Assistance is available to students who qualify for Free-or-Reduced Lunch.
• If home schooled students begin in the fall of their junior year, they are entitled to six quarters (Fall, Winter, and Spring of their Junior and Senior years). Likewise, if you enroll in the Fall Quarter of your Senior Year, then you are entitled to three quarters of the program. If you start mid-year, the number of quarters you’re allowed under Running Start is pro-rated accordingly.

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• Transfer credits: College credits are transferable to all Washington State public colleges and universities, and to most private colleges in the state, with the exception of the University of Puget Sound. We strongly recommend that students consult with college admissions representatives and departmental advisors as early as possible. Students should contact out-of-state colleges for their policies on accepting Running Start credits. We will be happy to provide information to other schools about the program.
  
  
• Baccalaureate Applicants: All Running Start students who plan to apply to baccalaureate institutions should take the SAT and/or ACT tests with their high school class to comply with college admission requirements. We strongly encourage students to maintain close contact with their high schools for SAT/ACT testing dates, application deadlines and scholarship information in preparation for admission to four year institutions.

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TCC's Fresh Start Program gives you the unique benefits of completing your high school diploma in a mature environment, while accumulating college credit. It is a program geared for students ages 16 to 21, who have not completed high school. Unlike Running Start, in the Fresh Start program, a student is no longer associated with a standard high school. Another main difference between the programs, is that in Fresh Start, students get textbooks and Student Fees paid for-- at no cost to the student. You can learn more about Fresh Start here.

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Students in the TCC in the High School program earn college credit at their participating high school, and not at TCC. The cost of tuition is reduced as well.

Like Running Start, most courses are transferable and launch an early start to college goals. You can learn more about TCC in the High School here.

 

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Tacoma Community College is covered under FERPA (Federal Education Right to Privacy Act) and follows federal guidelines concerning access to student records. We are not allowed to give information regarding a student's attendance or progress (even if the student is under 18 years of age). According to state law, we do not identify Running Start students to their instructors.

Faculty will not discuss a student's progress with anyone without the student's participation. Students are expected to conduct themselves as a college student.

Release forms are given to students prior to their Running Start Orientation session, and these would give an advisor permission to speak to parents about student records, class schedule, and grades. Running Start advisors do not have access to information about class attendance. They also do not have access to a student's performance in a class until their grades have been submitted at the end of the quarter.

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Parents and students should carefully evaluate readiness.
It is important to carefully consider each student's maturity level in choosing the Running Start Program. Although a student is academically prepared for college-level course work, they may find the independence necessary for a successful experience too demanding. Students are starting a permanent college transcript when they take their first college class. If they perform poorly, it may jeopardize future college plans.

Running Start classes place an increased demand on students, so it is important to monitor their class loads. Running Start students should be enrolled full-time between the high school and college, but should not over-enroll or take too few classes. Discuss the total academic picture with your student's high school counselor, and assigned Running Start advisor.

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Like all college students, someone in Running Start must: meet class deadlines, be prepared for classes, ask questions, and conduct themselves as a responsible adult. The faculty will expect the same level of classroom participation, study habits, homework completion, and respect by a Running Start student as received from other students.

The pace of college classes is much faster than in the high school. For example, a high school math class taught in one year at the high school is taught in just 10 weeks at the college. College classes demand approximately two hours of homework for each hour spent in an in-person class. Full online courses demand a student to have high time-management skills.

On the first day of class, instructors provide a course syllabus with their: email address, office location, office hours, and phone number. If students are having difficulty or need additional information, then it is their responsibility to contact their instructor.

TCC also offers free tutoring through the Tutoring Center. Call 253-566-6032 or look here to explore what the Tutoring Centers offer.

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