Highline College Transcript Requests: A Comprehensive Guide

A college transcript is a comprehensive record of your academic history, including all coursework and degree information. Whether you're applying to another institution, seeking employment, or simply need a record for yourself, understanding how to request your Highline College transcript is essential. Highline College uses ctcLink for registration, grades, and student records.

Understanding Transcripts

A transcript serves as an official record of your academic performance at Highline College. It's crucial for various purposes, including:

Transferring to another institution: Colleges and universities require official transcripts to evaluate transfer credits.
Employment: Employers may request transcripts to verify your educational background.
Personal record-keeping: An unofficial transcript can be useful for tracking your academic progress.

Official vs. Unofficial Transcripts

It's important to distinguish between official and unofficial transcripts:

Official Transcript: This is a certified copy of your academic record, typically requested for applications to other institutions or for employers. Official transcript orders are received through Parchment for a fee. It is generally sent directly to the requesting party in hard-copy format or electronically.
Unofficial Transcript: An unofficial copy is usually requested for personal use and can be accessed on the ctcLink Student Homepage. It's useful for record-keeping or placement purposes.

Requesting Official Transcripts

Highline College uses Parchment to process official transcript requests. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Order Official Transcript through Parchment: Navigate to the Parchment website.
Enter Your Student ID: Provide your Highline College Student ID number.
Select Documents: Choose the "Official Transcript" option.
Enter the Recipients: Specify the names and addresses of the institutions, employers, or other recipients who should receive your official transcripts. You can search for the name in the “Search” and choose to send the official transcript electronically. Electronic transcripts can only be sent to ctcLink colleges and public universities in Washington (excluding The Evergreen State College).
Hold for Degree or Hold for Grade: Indicate whether you want to hold the transcript until the current quarter's grades are posted or until your degree is awarded. Highline College reviews orders within 2-3 business days. There are times of high volume of transcript orders at the end of the quarter once grades are posted.
Provide Consent: Review the consent information and select "I Accept."
Review Your Order: Carefully review all the details of your order to ensure accuracy.
Enter Payment Information and Complete Your Order: Provide the necessary payment information to finalize your transcript request. To order official transcripts you will need a credit/debit card.
Check the Status of Your Transcript Order: Monitor the progress of your order through your Parchment account.

Electronic Transcript Requests via ctcLink

The Electronic Transcript Request page is used to send electronic transcript files from ctcLink to public universities in Washington as well as other ctcLink colleges. University recipients receive a DAT file (for automatic data upload) and a PDF copy of the student's transcript. Transcript data sent to ctcLink recipients is posted to the External Education page.

Read also: Your Guide to Highline College

To send an electronic transcript:

Select the Specify External Org ID checkbox. The Org ID and Location Nbr fields appear.
In the Org ID field, select a recipient ctcLink college or university.
In the Location Nbr field, use the lookup tool to select a location number.
If the student's transcript must be sent to multiple institutions, navigate back to the Transcript Request tab. Click the Add a New Row [+] button to add a new row.

Outbound electronic transcript requests are processed at 11:00pm on weekdays. To confirm that the process picked up a student’s transcript, look for a date in the Date Processed field.

Accessing Unofficial Transcripts

You can access your Unofficial Transcript on the ctcLink Student Homepage. This is a convenient way to review your academic record for personal use.

Important Considerations

Processing Time: Highline College reviews orders within 2-3 business days. However, the receiving institution also needs time to process the transcripts. They process the transcripts once grades become available.
Holds: Ensure there are no holds on your account that could delay the release of your transcript. Please resolve any pending matters (e.g. financial obligations) with our office directly regarding the status of your transcript order.
Graduation: If you are expecting your degree to be posted, submit an Application for Graduation in which you plan to graduate. Without this application, your degree will not be reviewed (or posted).
Name Changes: If your name has changed since you attended Highline, notify the receiving institution of your name change and previous name, and update your student record before placing your order. You may need to upload documents and update student records.
Address Updates: Ensure that the destination provided on the order is correct. If the destination is different from the one provided on the original order, contact Highline College directly regarding the status of your transcript order.
Transcripts Before 1994: If you attended before 1994, your records may be on microfiche and archived. A transcript request will be required to locate your records.
Assessment Bill (ESHB 2224): In July 2017, Governor Jay Inslee signed ESHB 2224, also known as the assessment bill. The new legislation allows some students who were unable to graduate after not passing a state assessment to appeal and possibly receive their diploma. This applies to students in the classes of 2014-18. Contact Highline College for more information. We are currently waiting for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to provide an appeal process before we can move forward. You may also fill out our online form and we will contact you when we know more.

Additional Information Relevant to Highline College Students

Enrollment and Registration

Highline College provides a structured enrollment process for both new and returning students.

New Students: Newly admitted students are eligible to enroll in classes starting on the first day of open registration. Students who have applied to Highline receive information regarding their next steps in their admissions letter.
Currently Enrolled Students: Currently enrolled students are assigned a specific time and date to enroll each quarter. Students may enroll at their appointed date and time or anytime thereafter.
Returning Students: Students who have previously attended Highline are assigned a specific date and time to enroll before new students. The scheduled date and time is based on the number of credits the student has successfully completed at Highline.

Students are encouraged to enroll for classes online.

Transfer Credits

Highline College honors academic credits earned at other regionally accredited institutions that are equivalent in the academic level of work offered at Highline.

Statewide Policy: Highline subscribes to statewide Policy on Inter-College Transfer and Articulation among Washington Public Colleges and Universities agreed to by regionally accredited colleges and universities of Washington the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and adopted by the Higher Education Coordinating Board in February 1986.
Reciprocity: Washington state community and technical colleges (CTCs) offer reciprocity to transfer degree-seeking students who move from college to college within the CTC system. Students who have fulfilled entire areas of their transfer degree requirements at one college - for example, Quantitative Skills, Communications or Distribution Area requirements - will be considered to have met those same requirements if they transfer to another community or technical college in Washington state. Students must initiate the review process and must be prepared to provide necessary documentation.
Evaluation: Students who have earned credits at another institution that they would like applied towards their certificate or degree requirements at Highline may request evaluation of transfer credits by sending official transcripts from other institutions and submitting a request for evaluation.

Enrollment Changes and Deadlines

Late Enrollment: Enrollment after the 10th instructional day of the quarter (eighth day in summer quarter) is considered late. A nonrefundable late course add fee will be assessed for each late course registration.
Waitlists: If a class is full and the quarter has not yet started, students can add themselves to the waitlist in ctcLink. As seats in the class become available, those on the list will automatically be registered, in the order they appear on the list. When the quarter begins and the class is full, students will need instructor approval to enroll.
Withdrawal: Students may withdraw from a class any time prior to the end of the eighth week of the quarter. Summer quarter or other special session classes must be dropped earlier. Instructors, at their discretion, may initiate a withdrawal for students who do not attend at least 60 percent of class during the first five instructional days of the academic quarter (or equivalent for summer); however they are not obligated to do so.

Additional Resources

Permission Codes: A permission code is a five-digit random number that is needed to enroll for a class when permission or a prerequisite is required.
Student ID Cards: Every student enrolled in credit classes can obtain a Highline Student Photo Identification card. This card may be required for access to certain services on campus. Visit the Registration and Records office in building 6 for issuance of a student ID card.
Auditing Classes: Students may enroll for a course and choose an audit option if they meet the course prerequisites. This option allows students to participate in courses to explore or review a subject and not receive a grade. An audit does not calculate into the quarterly or cumulative GPA and is not included in the number of credits attempted or completed. A grade of “N” will be reflected on the transcript. Regular tuition and fees are charged. Students interested in auditing a class must have instructor permission to approve the audit option.
Changing Class Schedules: Once students have enrolled for classes, they may change their class schedules online. Students with questions about changing their class schedule should consult with an advisor and/or funding source before making any changes.
ctcLink: Highline College uses ctcLink for registration, grades, and student records. Students may access and update their student records in ctcLink Student Portal. Find out how to activate your ctcLink.

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