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Qualifications

Any Washington State high school junior or senior can enroll in Running Start, provided they are  registered with a Washington public school district. Home school and private school students must register with a public school district to participate in Running Start.

Please submit proof of one of the following options to  runningstart@wvc.edu  for Wenatchee Campus or  omakrunningstart@wvc.edu for Omak Campus. Do not send documents through Google or Parchment, we cannot access them!

  • High School Transcript with cumulative GPA of  2.5 or higher
  • PSAT Reading of 500 or higher
  • SAT Reading of 500 or higher
  • ELA Smarter Balanced Assessment score of 3 or 4
  • ACT English score of 20 or higher
  • ACT Reading score of 21 or higher
  • AP English score of 4 or 5 

The student must make the final decision regarding if they are ready for college-level coursework on a full time or part time basis. Students are encouraged to seek the guidance of their parents, high school counselors, and college personnel while considering Running Start as an option. Ultimately, it is only the student's decision to pursue this pathway. For more see What to Consider.

Math

Math is not a qualifying factor for the program. If a student wants to take a college level math or math-related course, qualifications for enrollment are:

  • College-level math placement score (EdReady)
  • Qualifying score on math Smarter Balanced Assessment (3 or 4)
  • A grade of C or higher in Algebra 2 or higher at the high school

Running Start students are limited to "college-level" courses at the community college, and the placement test results are used to determine readiness for college-level work. Students need to provide copies to the Running Start office to be placed using this method.