Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to North! Once you have applied to the college, be sure to complete the remaining Steps to Admissions & Enrollment. Visit our New Student Advising page for steps to connect with an advisor.  Please have your English and math placement assessment complete before meeting with an advisor. If you have completed a prior college English and/or math class, bring a copy of your transcript for your advisor to determine placement.

You may need placement if you are planning to take math or English classes at North. You may also need placement if you take other classes at North that require math or English placement as a pre-requisite (some examples include Communications, Computer Science, Chemistry, Economics, and others). 

There are multiple methods, or placement options, to determine your placement into English and math classes, or classes that have English or math pre-requisites. 

For more information go to: https://northseattle.edu/placement-classes

New Student Orientation is strongly encouraged for students who have no prior college experience. You can sign up for on-campus orientation or online orientation. If there are questions, please email NorthNSO@seattlecolleges.edu.

CtcLink helps students manage their entire college experience – from adding/dropping classes, viewing your academic progress, paying for classes, and more.  

Visit this webpage to learn how to activate your ctcLink account and use the ctcLink resources.

We are available to meet with any students anytime! You should meet with your area of study advisor to make an education plan before the end of your second quarter at North. Students will be notified via email to schedule an appointment to meet with their area of study advisor to create this plan.

Students can schedule an appointment online, by calling 206-934-3658, or in-person at Student Success Services on the 2nd floor of the College Center.

Be sure to bring your placement option documents to your first meeting. The lists of acceptable placement options and instructions on how to take the math or English directed self-placement assessments (if necessary) can be found on the Placement for Classes website. Don’t forget to bring any questions you might have about programs and/or schools that interest you. If you know what classes you would like to take, tell your advisor, and they can help you understand how it fits into your education plan.

Students are assigned a date and time when registration opens. View when you can start registering for classes by logging into ctcLink.

To have previous credits applied to your program at North, students will need to:

1. Request their official transcripts from their previous college(s) and have them sent to North for evaluation.
2. Submit an evaluation request form through the Credentials Office.

Permission numbers are required to register for a course when you don’t meet the prerequisite through completed/in-progress classes taken at North. 

The Contact Form is the best way to request a permission number. 

You will be asked to provide information regarding the class you’re trying to register for and to upload any documents relevant to your request (unofficial transcripts, placement documents, etc.).

Enroll in a Class with a Permission Number

The number of units you take determines whether you are attending full-time or part-time. Deciding how many units to take depends on a combination of factors. We recommend weighing full-time and part-time options to help you make the right choice based on your academic goals.  

A maximum load of 20 units for college transfer, 25 units for career training and 30 units for basic & transitional studies each quarter has been established for students at North. Students must meet with their assigned area of study advisor to review their education plan before a unit (credit) overload can be approved.

An Education Plan is an outline of the coursework required to complete your educational goal or program of study. It is your roadmap toward a college certificate or degree that can save you time and money. Learn more about Education Planning at: https://northseattle.edu/advising/create-your-education-plan 

You can visit our web pages to learn more about College Transfer and Career Training. An advisor can help you navigate prerequisite requirements and course sequencing.

Our Math sequence guide and Science sequence guide are good resources that students can refer to. It is recommended that students meet with their assigned area of study advisor to choose the right classes.

The best thing that you can do is to first speak with your instructor. There may be a way for you to stay in the class and/or do your work in an alternate fashion. You may also want to consider tutoring through the Student Learning Center. They offer extensive tutoring services in many subject areas including writing, math, chemistry, accounting etc., and have online as well as in person services. If you need help with study skills, time management, etc. you can talk with one of our Counselors.

An advisor can help you understand the impact of withdrawing from a class – which can include university transfer and education planning.  Students receiving financial aid, please check with the Financial Aid office to find out how this might impact your aid. International students please check with the International Programs office as dropping a class could negatively impact your visa status.

You can withdraw from a class via ctcLink until the withdraw deadline. Directions on how to withdraw are available here. 

If you are attempting to withdraw from a class after the last day to withdraw, you should contact your instructor to ask about other grading options, including NC or ‘no credit.’ 

The Academic Calendar contains all of the important dates, including last day to withdraw.

With instructor approval you may be able to take an incomplete “I” and be given extra time after the quarter ends to complete coursework, typically up to one quarter. Talk with your instructor to see if this is an option. See the full description of an ‘I’ grade in the current Seattle Colleges academic catalog under ‘Grades and Credits.’

Look at our Transfer Resources and Advising & Transfer Events calendar to stay up to date.

Students can order official transcripts online, fax/mail, or in person. It is required that you send official transcripts from all colleges you have attended regardless of if you like the grades or if you think your coursework will count.

Take a look at our University World Language Requirements guide to learn more. We recommend meeting with an advisor if there are questions on how to meet these world language requirements.

There are seven transfer degree options that you can choose from. If you have a specific major in mind, you can refer to our Program Pathway Maps to view recommended courses to take each quarter and important information.

There can be several different reasons why you have a hold on your account – unpaid tuition, academic probation, orientation, etc. However, only holds placed by the Advising office can be removed by an advisor. All other holds will need to be removed by the office that placed it. You may login to ctcLink to view what hold you might have, and which office placed them.

If you are trying to contact faculty, you can find their contact information by searching the faculty/staff directory People Pages.

Visit the Graduation website for information on applying for graduation, deadlines and commencement information.