Visiting Student

Steps to Enroll: Visiting Student

For students who are not intending to earn a degree or certificate at South Seattle College. Often, visiting students are attending South to only take 1-3 classes to transfer back to their home institution outside of the Seattle Colleges or they already have a Bachelor's degree and want to take classes at South for pre-admission requirements for graduate programs.

If you identify as one of the other student types below, these populations have specialized enrollment steps. Please click to their respective links to access their information page to contact them directly for their enrollment process:

We want to make sure you have a strong start at South Seattle College. One of the best ways you can prepare for enrollment is to do a little research on the programs you might want to study. This will help you identify what degree might be best for you. If you need help exploring, contact our Welcome Center and get support from our friendly staff to learn more about your options.

All students must submit a free online admissions application for South Seattle College with your intended program of study, even if your intention is to only take 1-3 classes and not earn a degree or certificate at South. We recommend reviewing the "Tips for Submitting Your Admissions Application" below before starting your application.

South Seattle College uses the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges Online Admissions Application Portal.

Apply Today!

Tips for Submitting Your Admissions Application

Before Applying:

  • If you already have a ctcLink account from a different community or technical college in Washington state, you can log in to the admissions application with your existing ctcLink ID and password to submit a new admissions application for South Seattle College.
  • Once a quarter begins, the deadline to submit an admissions application for that current quarter is the 10th day of the quarter at end of business day. For example, Spring Quarter 2025 begins April 7th, 2025. The last day to submit an admission application for that Spring Quarter 2025 would be the 10th day of the quarter which is April 18th, 2025.
  • View our Academic Calendar for quarter start dates and additional timelines.
  • We are an open access college, and you are welcome here regardless of citizenship or residency status. If you have a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), including that number on your application will reduce paperwork required to complete the application process for admission and financial aid.
  • Students applying for financial aid should select a degree or certificate program on the admissions application. If you select “Undecided – Academic,” this will automatically place a hold on your financial aid account until you update your program of study with Advising and Financial Aid offices. You can always change your degree or certificate path in the future.
  • If you’d like support in completing the admission application and/or discussing South’s degree and certificate options, please schedule an appointment with the Welcome Center.

After You Apply:

  • South’s Registration team will send you an email once your application has been processed that will include your ctcLink number (which acts as your Student ID number). Keep this unique number safe as you will use it throughout your time at South Seattle College.
  • Registration prioritizes processing admission applications for the upcoming quarter. If you applied for the upcoming quarter and it has been more than 10 business days, please email Registration at ssccregistration@seattlecolleges.edu to inquire on the status of your application. If you applied for a later quarter, you should expect to receive your ctcLink ID 30 days before the start of the quarter.
  • After you apply, you will receive additional emails from South with information to help you complete your enrollment steps and fund your education.
  • Be sure to check your junk mail or spam folder for emails from ssccregistration@seattlecolleges.edu if you have not received your information in the expected time frame.
  • Have a question about your residency? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
  • Don’t wait to apply for funding! You can start the process of looking for funding while you wait for your application to be processed.

There are several funding and payment options available to students at South. Whether you plan on paying for college yourself or you plan on applying for financial aid, preparing to pay for college should begin as soon as possible! 

Visit our Paying for College Overview Website to learn about key costs, important deadlines, and funding resources.

Financial Aid

Generally, visiting students who take classes without pursuing a degree or certificate at South Seattle College are not eligible for traditional financial aid.

If you have already completed your FAFSA or WASFA at another college or university and you have already been awarded financial aid at that school, you can check to see if you are eligible to apply for a Consortium Agreement to use your financial aid award to take classes at South.

  • If you’re eligible (see the form for eligibility requirements and details), then you can complete the form and submit it to South’s Financial Aid Office for review! Submit the form 3 weeks prior to the start of the upcoming quarter to allow for processing and review.

If you already have a Bachelor’s degree and are wanting to take additional classes at South (regardless if you are or are not seeking to earn a degree or certificate at South), you may not be able eligible to receive financial aid through FAFSA/WASFA funding to cover your classes. Contact financialsouth@seattlecolleges.edu if you have questions about eligibility.

Have General Questions? Contact financialsouth@seattlecolleges.edu

Are you planning to do Professional & Technical Career Training?

In addition to Financial Aid, you can also connect with the Workforce Education department to see if you are eligible for funding. Another great resource for students in these programs is our Opportunity Grant. 

Veteran’s Benefits

Make sure to contact our Veteran’s Affairs Office for details on how to get your funding processed. For questions you can email southveterans@seattlecolleges.edu.

Scholarships

Explore Scholarships you can apply to!

Payment Plan

If you would like the ability to pay for tuition in smaller monthly payments rather than all at once, check out our Payment Plan option.

Visit South’s Paying for College Overview Website to learn about key cost, important deadlines, and our funding resources. 

If you have questions on financial aid, contact financialsouth@seattlecolleges.edu.          

Placement

New students at South need to establish Math and English placement before registering for classes. Having placement established is also required to meet with Academic Advisors, so this is an important step to get completed as soon as possible! There are a few different ways to do this depending on your educational background!

If you have classes (completed or in-progress) from another school (outside of the Seattle Colleges) and want to use those to meet the pre-requisite/enrollment requirements at South, and you do not need those credits to go towards your degree or certificate at South, review the class schedule to select your class(es) and email advisorsouth@seattlecolleges.edu with the following information:

  • First and last name
  • ctcLink ID (if you have not received this number yet, please review Step 1
  • Name of the course(s) you want to register for (example: BIOL&160)
  • Course section number (example: 12345)
  • Quarter (example Fall 2025)
  • Please attach unofficial transcripts, test scores, and/or your current course schedule showing completion of prerequisites (if not done at South). The document provided must clearly state your name and the awarding institution. With this information we can review your request to register.
  • Screenshot of error message you are receiving
    • If you believe your pre-requisites are recorded at South, please attach a screenshot of the error message you’re receiving that is preventing you from adding your course.
    • Please note that the permission number box shows up for everyone and may not be specific to you. If you believe that your pre-requisites are recorded at South, please leave it blank and click “save.”

If you decide later that you want to earn a degree/certificate at South and want credits from other colleges to go towards your degree or certificate at South.

You will need to complete the official transcript process by ordering an official transcript to be sent to South Seattle College for evaluation and complete the incoming transcript evaluation request form.

See ‘Transcripts’ section below for more information on this process.

South’s Free Online Math and English Placement Tools

If you haven’t taken a college-level Math or English class or the Math and English Directed Self-Placement Tools, you can use South's free online Math and English Directed Self-Placement Tools below. Our placement tools are the fastest way to establish Math and English placement at South! Our Math and English Directed Self Placement tools are free and completely online, and they take approximately 30 minutes each to complete and the results will be posted to your student account 2-3 business days after completion.

Math Directed Self Placement | English Directed Self Placement

 

Credits From North Seattle College or Seattle Central College

For students with credits from North Seattle or Seattle Central, if you have taken classes at either of those schools and want to use those classes to establish Math and English placement at South and want those credits to go towards your certificate or degree at South Seattle College you do not need to submit official transcripts. However, you still need to complete an incoming transcript evaluation request form to have those credits evaluated and brought into your transcript at South to be used for establishing Math and English placement.

Placement Taken at Another Washington State Community and Technical College

If you have taken the Math or English Placement Test/Tools at another Washington State Community and Technical College and they have not expired, you can use Washington State Placement Reciprocity. Forward your original placement scores to studentplacement@seattlecolleges.edu

 

International Transcripts (College Coursework Taken Outside the US)

Students who completed coursework at a college or university outside of the United States may complete South's Math and English Directed Self-Placement Tools to establish placement. If you have an international transcript that has already been evaluated by a third party agency such as WES, you may submit your unofficial evaluation report to StudentPlacement@seattlecolleges.edu for review.

 

Additional Placement Options

See here for the full list of placement options

If you have questions about placement or whether your placement is still valid, contact studentplacement@seattlecolleges.edu  

Transcripts

If you have taken classes from another school outside the Seattle Colleges and want those credits to go towards your degree or certificate at South you will need to complete the official transcript process by ordering an official transcript to be sent to South Seattle College for evaluation and complete the incoming transcript evaluation request form.

If you have questions on transcript evaluations, contact sevaluations@seattlecolleges.edu 

These steps will guide you through getting access to key student account tools you will use in your time at South, including: ctcLink, MySeattleColleges, and Starfish. You will need your ctcLink ID number in order to complete these steps.

Review this guide and follow the steps indicated to set-up your accounts: Students Guide to Accounts and Tech Tools.

If you need additional help understanding these tools, contact the eLearning Staff 

Setting Up ctcLink

Once your application has been processed, you will receive an email from our Registration Department about your acceptance and you will be provided a ctcLink ID. Keep this unique number safe as you will need it for future steps. You will use your ctcLink ID number to activate your ctcLink Account. (You will only need to activate it once.)

  1. Go to the ctcLink Gateway page.
  2. Select “Activate Your Account”.
  3. Use your first name, last name, date of birth, and ctcLink ID number to activate your account.

Watch this video to go over the ctcLink account activation process. Your ctcLink Account will be used for a variety of processes. Your ctcLink account stores information about your student accounts, financial balances, class registration, enrollment, and transcripts. Visit our student ctcLink Resource Page to learn more.

 

Setting Up MySeattleColleges

You will need to have your ctcLink Account activated to do this step. Use your ctcLink ID and password to create MySeattleColleges password (Video)

  • ctcLink ID is your student ID number
  • MySeattleCollege is your student username
  • Both accounts will be used throughout your time at Seattle Colleges.

To set up your MySeattleColleges account, go to tools.seattlecolleges.edu and select “Get My Credentials” to activate your Seattle Colleges email address. You will be provided with your email and login credentials. After this, you will set your password by selecting “Reset Password.”

Your email is usually your FirstName.LastName@seattlecolleges.edu and the password is one you can create. This password expires every 120 days. Make sure to use a secure and memorable password so you can access your account again.

Here is a student guide to explain how you will use your ctcLink Account and your MySeattleColleges account while in school. 

Student Account guide

 

Setting Up Starfish

Starfish is a tech tool you can use once you are registered for at least 1 class to schedule appointments with Financial Aid, Advising, and later on, Tutoring. You can view current instructor and course information and find your To-Do items and checklists assigned by your advisor. You will even be able to see notes from your advising appointments and other key messages.

  • Login here: Starfish (starfishsolutions.com)
  • Your login for Starfish: Use your MySeattleColleges credentials to log in. Do not include the @SeattleColleges.edu in your username.

If you need additional help understanding these tech tools, contact the eLearning Staff

Once Math and English placement has been established and recorded, you should be able to self-register for courses through ctcLink. You can view course offerings for the upcoming quarter on the Class Schedule.

If you know what classes you will take, here is a Guide to Register in ctcLink.

  • Please note that while registering, the permission number box shows up for everyone. You may or may not need it to register. Leave this field blank and click “Save" to see if a code is needed.
  • If it does not work, you can request a permission code. See instructions on Advising’s website.

If you are unsure what courses to take or want to verify that you are selecting the correct course for your degree, please schedule an Advising appointment.

  • Advisors help guide students in choosing classes based on academic goals. Once you have completed placement for classes, you are encouraged to meet with an advisor to get help with your first quarter plan.

Visiting Students are not required to complete the online New Student Orientation. You are welcome to review the New Student Orientation as a public viewer and completion of the course will not be recorded. Learn more at our New Student Orientation homepage.

We're here to support you!  

If you have questions or need guidance on where to start, please contact our Welcome Center at SouthWelcomeCenter@seattlecolleges.edu and we will help you get started.