Planning Your Transfer

The Transfer Center offers a variety of valuable resources to support students with planning their transfer to four-year colleges. Start your planning early by taking advantage of the programs and services offered through the Transfer Center.

• Tips to Compare Colleges
• Nursing Transfer Guide
• How to transfer in Washington State
• Transfer Rights and Responsibilities in Washington State
• Foreign Language Requirements for Transfer

Tips for planning your transfer

Early planning is the key to a successful transfer.

First Year at Highline College

Not sure of what to major in? Contact Highline’s Counseling Center (Building 6, second floor) for more information about career assessment and advice. Take this step as soon as possible. You can also learn more about careers by checking out Washington Occupational Information Services (WOIS).

If you access the site using a Highline computer, you do not need a password. If you access the site from an off-campus computer, you need a password. Call (206) 878-3710, ext. 3353 for your password.

Are you sure of your major and the college to which you are planning to transfer? Meet with a Highline faculty for assistance with your educational planning. You can request a faculty advisor assignment from the Advising Center in Building 6, 1st floor, or you can also complete the request form.

Get to know your faculty advisor and your instructors well. You may be able to ask them to write strong letters of recommendation for your future transfer application or for a job application.

If your college offers an information session for transfer students, be sure to take advantage of this valuable opportunity. At the session, you will be able to meet with the advisors, find out what the admissions requirements, application process and deadlines are.

Still exploring what colleges you want to transfer to? Check out Peterson’s and College Board. Also, be sure to attend the college fairs that are held at Highline every year. At the fair, you will be able to speak with admissions representatives from most of the colleges in Washington State. There may also several out-of-state colleges represented as well.

Start researching scholarships. Find out what scholarships are available as well as the requirements, deadlines and process for applying. View scholarships. Keep in mind too, that depending on your major, some departments at the four-year colleges may also offer scholarships. Contact the department directly for details.

Attend transfer workshops on campus such as How to Write a Personal Statement. View workshops.

Second Year at Highline College

Watch out for deadlines. Not all colleges and universities have the same application deadlines. The closing dates are listed on the college’s website. Find out if the school accepts students every quarter or semester? If you are interested in a specific major, find out if you have to turn in a separate application for that major. If so, what is the application deadline for the major? Some competitive majors may accept students only once a year so do not miss the deadline.

In most cases, the deadline for fall quarter admission is sometime during the winter quarter of your second year at Highline. Highly competitive majors usually have January or early February deadlines.

Whether you are applying as a freshmen, transfer or international student, be sure to use the appropriate application and take note of the deadlines.

However, some colleges may require that all students use the same application, but turn in additional documents.

In order to ensure that you are completing the correct application and meeting the appropriate deadlines, read the application instructions carefully.

Also, free to contact the university’s Admissions Office directly for clarification.

Apply for Financial Aid. Be sure to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Apply early! Be sure to find out what the financial aid deadline is for your transfer school. The financial aid deadline may not be the same as that of admission to the college. The general admission deadline for many colleges is usually between January and April (more competitive majors have earlier deadlines) while the financial aid priority deadline for fall quarter is usually in January or February.

Do not wait to be accepted by your transfer school before you apply for financial aid.

Take note of all the documents required for applying and be sure to turn them in by the application deadline

• Application (paper or online—find out if the college has a preference)
• Application fee (find out from the college if you can apply for a fee waiver)
• College transcript (s)—Highline College transcript plus transcripts from your other colleges, if applicable
• High School transcript, if required
• Personal Statement, if required
• Letters of recommendation, if required
• SAT, ACT scores, if required
• If you are applying as an international student, there will be additional documents to turn in. For example: TOEFL scores, financial verification letter, etc.

How We Can Help

Transfer Workshops

During the academic year, we offer workshops on select majors, writing a personal statement, steps to transferring, and others.

College Representatives on Campus

The Transfer Center sponsors three college fairs each year to help students with their transfer planning. We also invite college representatives to meet with students on a drop-in basis or by individual appointments.

Computer workstations

Feel free to come into the Transfer Center to access information on colleges, scholarships or to complete your admissions application online. We welcome you to use our computers.

Printing

You are welcome to print information off the computer using your MyHighline account.

Library of printed materials

• Browse our library of college handbooks
• Select catalogs
• Scholarship manuals
• University transfer publications