Running Start allows qualified high school juniors and seniors to enroll tuition-free in college-level courses as part of their high school program of study. Books, supplies, lab fees, and transportation are the responsibility of the student. Students are responsible to pay for any college courses numbered below 100.
- To be admitted to BBCC as a Running Start student, students must be registered as a junior or senior in a Washington state public school, under 21 years of age, and place into a college-level English or college-level mathematics course. (College-level classes are numbered 100 and above.)
- Students who will take only professional/technical courses, such as welding, industrial systems technology, etc., may qualify by placement into the required English and mathematics for that program.
- Homeschooled students and students attending private schools must be evaluated at the junior or senior level by a public high school official and enroll at that school.
- Students who have passed the GED and who do not have a high school diploma may enroll through their high school and be eligible for the Running Start program until the age of 21.