Part-Time, Deferment, and Re-Entry Requests
Seattle Promise requires that students enroll full-time (at least 12 credits) for each fall, winter, and spring quarter, starting the fall quarter immediately following high school graduation. There are some circumstances that allow students to request to move to part-time status, defer enrollment for a quarter, or re-enter the Seattle Promise program if eligibility was recently lost.
Click on the accordions below for more information.
Need to enroll part-time or take a quarter off (deferment)?
Seattle Promise scholars are required to be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more) or request approval to enroll less than full-time. If you intend to enroll full-time and need help determining what classes to take, please contact your retention specialist to schedule a time to connect.
We know life happens and you may need some added flexibility in certain quarters. Work with your Retention Specialist to request flexibility due to an extenuating life circumstance or reasons outside your control. You can request to enroll part-time for the following reasons:
- Medical reasons
- Financial reasons
- Personal reasons such needing to take care of family
- Academic Stress
- Classes that you need are not offered this quarter
- Graduating
Instructions to Request Part-Time Status
To request part-time status (1-11 credits), please complete one of the following:
- Log into Starfish and request less than full time (1-11 credits) status using the Request Help tool. View the instructions.
- Email your retention specialist about your need to be part-time. You can communicate via email or schedule a time to meet.
Requests to enroll part-time or defer enrollment are due by the 10th day of the quarter. Submit your request as early as possible so you can plan accordingly. If you do not submit the request by the 10th day of the quarter, you will no longer be eligible for Seattle Promise. Complete this form if no other option works for you.
Instructions to Request Deferment
To request deferment (taking the quarter off) please complete one of the following:
- Log into Starfish and request deferment (0 credits) status using the Request Help tool. View the instructions.
- Email your retention specialist about your need to be part-time. You can communicate via email or schedule a time to meet.
Requests to enroll part-time or defer enrollment are due by the 10th day of the quarter. Submit your request as early as possible so you can plan accordingly. If you do not submit the request by the 10th day of the quarter, you will no longer be eligible for Seattle Promise. Complete this form if no other option works for you.
In general, students who lose Seattle Promise eligibility or who “age out” of the program before earning a degree are not eligible to re-enter the program. Those students are encouraged to connect with their college’s financial aid office to explore alternate funding options and to enroll with their college’s TRIO program to receive wrap-around student support.
For the 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 academic years, the City of Seattle’s Department of Education and Early Learning has authorized Seattle Colleges to make an exception to allow students who lose Seattle Promise eligibility to re-enter the program.
To be eligible for program re-entry, the student must:
- have enrolled as a Seattle Promise scholar at a Seattle College (Central, North, or South) beginning in 2022, 2023, or 2024
AND - have not yet completed their first associate degree, 90 college level credits or 3 years in the program
AND - have not re-entered Seattle Promise before
AND - complete and submit a Seattle Promise Re-Entry Form and re-enroll at Seattle Colleges prior to the first day of the quarter they wish to re-enter.
Students re-entering the program must complete their financial aid file and meet one on one with their Retention Specialist by the last day of the quarter during the quarter they re-entered the program.
Students re-entering the program must meet Seattle Promise eligibility criteria to remain eligible for Seattle Promise (attend a mid-quarter check-in every quarter, enroll full-time each quarter, and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress). Re-entry students who continue to meet eligibility criteria will remain eligible for Seattle Promise until they reach 90 college level credits, their first associates degree, or three years from when they began the program.
For the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, the City of Seattle’s Department of Education and Early Learning has authorized Seattle Colleges to make an exception to allow Seattle Promise students who have completed 2 years in the Seattle Promise program but have not yet reached 90 college level credits or their first associates degree to access one additional year of Seattle Promise tuition and supports.
If you are a cohort 2020 Seattle Promise student, and you have reached 2 years in the Seattle Promise program without completing 90 college level credits in Spring or Summer 2022, you remain eligible for Seattle Promise and can continue to enroll at the Seattle Colleges with Seattle Promise tuition funding through Spring 2023, or until you reach 90 college level credits or your first degree.