Advising


Running Start advisors are available to meet with Running Start students throughout the year to support their academic needs.

Advisors can assist students with selecting appropriate quarterly schedules, make schedule changes, withdraw from courses, developing long term academic plans (at CWU or for transferring to another institution), and applying for financial aid and scholarships. Students are required to meet with their Running Start advisor each quarter prior to enrolling to turn in their Running Start Enrollment Verification Form and select their quarterly classes.

Please note that Running Start advisors are working remotely in summer and fall quarters. All advising appointments will be held through video chat. Once you schedule an appointment, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join your meeting.

Additional Information


  • Schedule Advising

    Running Start advisors are available to meet with students throughout the year. Please use the following links to schedule a meeting with your advisor:

    Ellensburg (Main Campus) Running Start Advising

    Sammamish (Online) Running Start Advising

  • Quarterly Advising & Registration

    All Running Start students need to meet with their Running Start advisor each quarter before they can register for their classes. Students should take the following steps to prepare for advising:

    1. Meet with their high school counselor to review their remaining high school requirements and complete the Running Start Enrollment Verification Form. This form needs to be signed by the high school counselor, student, and parent/guardian and turned in to the Running Start advisor at the student's advising appointment.
    2. Log in to their MyCWU account to see their assigned enrollment date and time for the quarter. This is the earliest date and time the student will be able to enroll in the next quarter's classes. Students should schedule their Running Start advising appointment before this date to ensure that they are able to register for their classes in a timely manner.
    3. View the quarterly class schedule and plan which courses they want to take. Because registration at CWU is based on seniority (number of credits a student has earned), some corses may no longer be available by the time a particular student can register. Therefore, students should plan 2 to 3 different schedules that will work for their high school requirements and college goals.
    4. Schedule their advising appointment with their Running Start advisor to review their plans and prepare for online registration. Students are welcome to schedule an advising appointment any time between the beginning of advising and the last day of registration. However, students are encouraged to schedule their advising appointments early to make sure they can see their advisor prior to their enrollment date. Quarterly advising dates and other reminders are emailed to students at their CWU email account. Students are expected to check this email daily os they do not miss important information from the Running Start office, other services on campus, and their instructors.
  • High School Equivalency Guides

    School districts have put together equivalency guides to help students identify which CWU classes will satisfy individual high school graduation requirements. Students should consult these equivalency guides when reviewing the quarterly class schedule to make sure that the classes they want to take will work for the requirements at their high school.

  • Schedule Changes

    Running Start students are allowed to make changes to their schedules up until the fifth business day of each quarter. Because the courses they take satisfy their high school graduation requirements, students are strongly encouraged to consult with their high school counselor and their Running Start advisor to make sure that the changes they are making are appropriate. Please check with your advisor prior to making any changes.

    Schedule change deadlines are available in the quarterly academic calendar.

  • Withdraws

    Students are able to withdraw from courses by meeting with their Running Start advisor and filling out a schedule change form. The below drop and withdraw options are available to students. All deadlines are published in the quarterly academic calendar. Students should consult with their high school counselor and their Running Start advisor prior to dropping or withdrawing from any courses.

    Dropping a Class
    Within the first five business days of the quarter, students may drop any of their courses without penalty. The course will not show on the student's transcript and no fees will be charged.

    Uncontested Withdrawal
    Students can request an uncontested withdrawal during the first six weeks of the quarter. This will be noted on the student's 'transcript with a "+W" for a grade. This grade does not impact GPA, but students should be careful about withdrawing from courses too frequently. Students may have to pay fees if they withdraw during the uncontested withdrawal window.

    Hardship Withdrawals
    Withdrawals after the sixth week of instruction will be granted only for reasons of hardship and then only upon written petition to and written approval by the Registrar. The student must contact the course instructor and obtain the faculty member’s signature on the hardship withdrawal petition. The signature serves merely to acknowledge the petition and implies neither support nor rejection of the request. The Office of the Registrar may consult with affected faculty when evaluating a petition and will notify the instructor if the hardship withdrawal has been approved. Hardship withdrawals will be noted on the student’s transcript with an “HW” (hardship withdrawal). Hardship withdrawals from individual courses will not be permitted during or after the final examination period. Petitions must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar, which has final approval.

    Complete Withdrawal
    A student may withdraw from the academic term for reasons of illness or other extenuating circumstances at any time prior to finals week. An official withdrawal form is available at the Office of the Registrar or university center offices. A student may not withdraw from the university during finals week except with approval of the Registrar. A complete withdrawal from the university will be noted on the student’s transcript with a “W” and will not affect the student’s grade point average. The Office of the Registrar will notify affected faculty members when a student has withdrawn from the university. Students who plan to leave the university must complete the official withdrawal form and may need to have an exit interview. Failure to do so may result in failing grades. There is no refund of tuition and fees if total withdrawal occurs after the 30th calendar day of the beginning of the quarter. See refund policy for specific details.

  • Transferring Running Start Credits

    Your Running Start advisor will work with you to choose appropriate courses if you are planning to transfer to another institution after you graduate. Please check with the college/university that you are considering application to for accurate transfer and testing information.

    All public colleges in Washington accept college-level academic Running Start credits in a manner consistent with standard transfer equivalency policies.

    Generally, students who complete college credit while in high school will apply to four-year colleges and universities as freshmen, and they will receive transfer credit after being admitted to the college. Students must complete the freshmen application requirements including taking the SAT or ACT test, and completing the core high school requirements.

    Students should find out about specific requirements for admission into individual major departments (School of Engineering, School of Business, etc.) and other specialized departmental requirements.

    Even though CWU has transfer agreements, it is advisable to work closely with the four-year colleges and universities for a successful transfer.

    Students will need to request that an official transcript be sent to their new institution if they want to transfer their credits. Instructions for how to do that are available on the Office of the Registrar's request transcripts page.

  • AP, IB, and CWU Transfer Credit Policies

    If you plan to continue your studies at Central Washington University after you graduate, you can transfer your Advanced Placement, International Baccaulaureate, and other college credits to CWU once you apply as a regular matriculated student. The catalog provides a full listing of how AP and IB credits transfer and provides a guide for transferring classes from other institutions.

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