Highline College（海莱恩学院）is a public community college in Des Moines, Washington State, about 20 minutes south of downtown Seattle. Its International Student Programs (ISP) office runs its own website with unusually concrete information for applicants: the requirements, the English scores accepted, the estimated costs, the deadlines and the post-admission steps. This guide is based on the college’s official sites highline.edu and international.highline.edu as checked on 6 August 2026. Where the websites do not publish a figure, this guide says so instead of guessing.
Highline College at a Glance
Highline College was founded in 1961 and is one of Washington State’s 34 community and technical colleges. The about page says the main campus covers 80 tree-filled acres in Des Moines, perched on a hill overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains; the mailing and campus address is 2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines, WA 98198. The homepage describes the college as serving over 14,000 enrolled students per year with more than 100 degrees and certificates, and notes that over 80% of students are students of color. Highline College is accredited by NWCCU, a regional accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education. The athletics teams are the Thunderbirds, competing in the Northwest Athletics Conference across eight sports, and the on-campus student housing complex Campus View opened in December 2018 about a three-minute walk from the classroom buildings.
The ISP office is located on the 5th floor of Building 25 on the main campus and offers in-person, email, phone and Zoom services. The ISP site notes that Highline partners with APLS for English language courses, and that once an international student completes their first quarter they may become eligible to apply for scholarships and on-campus employment.
Programs: Certificates, Associate Degrees and Applied Bachelor’s
Highline College structures study around degree pathways, and students choose from more than 100 degrees and certificates. Length of study runs from 3 months to 2 years or longer: short-term certificates are completed in 3 months, one-year certificates and programs run 3 quarters, and two-year programs run 6 quarters, including the Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Applied Science (AAS); many two-year programs offer transfer opportunities to four-year universities. Popular subject areas for international students include Art, Design and Communication, Business, Computer Science, Economics, Education, Hospitality and Tourism Management, STEM, Social Sciences and International Relations, Nursing, and pre-medicine/pre-dental/pre-law.
Highline College also offers seven four-year Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) programs completed entirely on campus: Cybersecurity and Forensics, Respiratory Care, Applied Management, Youth Development, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Integrated Design. The college has university transfer partnerships with US and international universities, described on the ISP site as Conditional Acceptance routes that let students save money by attending Highline first and then transferring to a four-year university. Short-term programs of 3-12 months are also available, customized to the student’s time and subject interests, with program starts in September, January, March and June.
Admission Requirements for International Students
The ISP application page sets out the admission requirements for Highline College: applicants must be 16 years old or older at the time they start studying; submit a completed application form and all required documents; demonstrate English proficiency; and pay the international application fee of $54 USD. Transfer students must submit additional documentation. The document checklist includes an unexpired passport (biographical page), proof of English proficiency (or an unofficial secondary school transcript or school letter confirming classes were taught in English), visa information if currently studying in the US, and financial documents: a bank statement dated within the past six months showing a balance covering at least one academic year of expenses, with a minimum balance of $23,700 USD for 2026, plus an Affidavit of Financial Support if the funds come from someone else. The application is completed online, with payment via Flywire; a PDF version exists but the website says it delays processing.
For English proficiency, the ISP site accepts: Duolingo 90, TOEFL iBT 54, TOEFL ITP 480, TOEFL CBT 157, Kaplan International Test of English 425, IELTS 5.5 with no band lower than 5.0, PTE Academic 42, iTEP 3.5, STEP/EIKEN Pre-Grade 1, Cambridge CPE grade C, GCE A/O/N-level, IGCSE grade E in English, HKDSE 3, HKALE grade E, HKCEE D/3, and LanguageCert 25, among others. Students who have completed at least one academic year at a high school or post-secondary institution with passing grades where English is the primary language of instruction can submit transcripts or a letter on school letterhead instead. The visa page adds that students who have provided TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores do not need further English placement testing.
Estimated Tuition and Costs
The ISP tuition page publishes estimated costs for the 2025-2026 academic year at Highline College, based on 15 credits per quarter and local accommodation; one quarter is about 3 months and one academic year is 3 quarters. For associate and certificate programs (years 1-2), the estimated total is $7,900 per quarter — $4,333 for tuition and fees plus $3,567 estimated living expenses — or about $23,700 per academic year. For Bachelor of Applied Science programs (years 3-4), the estimate is $11,234 per quarter — $7,667 for tuition and fees plus $3,567 living expenses — or about $33,700 per year. Other costs include a one-time ISP Orientation and Activities fee of $120, health insurance of $426.48 per quarter (rate effective Fall 2025, required for F-1 students and paid with tuition each quarter), and books estimated at $500 per quarter. The tuition page notes that figures are estimates subject to change without notice.
The main college tuition page confirms international students pay the non-resident rate: for 2026-2027, lower-division courses cost about $350.12 per credit for 1-10 credits at the non-resident/full tuition rate, and upper-division courses about $693.03 per credit. Tuition is set by the Washington State Legislature and can change. For programs like nursing or the applied bachelor’s, actual totals depend on the specific course load, so the ISP estimates are the more useful planning figure.
Important Dates and the Application Timeline
Highline College runs on the quarter system with four quarters per year. The ISP dates page publishes preferred application deadlines: for Summer 2026, May 29, 2026 for applicants applying from outside the US (June 5 from inside the US without F-1 status, June 24 for those already in F-1 status); Fall 2026, August 21, 2026 from outside the US; Winter 2027, November 25, 2026; and Spring 2027, February 26, 2027. Key dates for Fall 2026 include the earliest US arrival date of August 22, Campus View move-in on September 18, orientation starting September 21, and classes starting September 28. By law, international students may not enter the US more than 30 days before the program start date on their I-20. All new international students must attend the in-person orientation, which covers F-1 regulations, medical insurance, class selection and campus resources.
Planning backwards from these dates matters for applicants outside the US: after admission Highline issues the I-20, and students can apply for the F-1 visa up to 12 months before the program start date. The visa page’s steps are: print and sign the I-20, pay the I-901 SEVIS fee, apply for the F-1 visa and pay the visa fee, wait for the interview, and notify the ISP office of the outcome. The website advises beginning the visa process as soon as possible after receiving the I-20, and the preferred deadlines are set based on typical visa processing times.
After Admission: Support and Services
After acceptance, the ISP site walks students through a clear sequence: activate the ctcLink account (enrollment, payments, records) and the myHighline account (email, Canvas, Google Drive); take English and math placement tests if needed (TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores waive English testing); enroll with an ISP advisor; pay tuition, fees and medical insurance; arrange housing; book a flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA); and attend orientation week. The orientation includes placement tests, advisor meetings, I-94 submission and campus resource sessions.
All first-quarter international students are strongly encouraged to live in Campus View Student Housing, the on-campus apartment complex with furnished units and utilities included; after the first quarter students may choose homestay or off-campus apartments, with the housing page noting local apartment options from about $1,500 per month plus a damage deposit from about $400. ISP staff meet students arriving at SeaTac during designated move-in times, and new Campus View residents can be reimbursed up to $50 for travel costs with a receipt. For students transferring credits, the transcript evaluation takes 10-14 weeks and should be started before the first quarter. The college’s transfer partnerships give international students a route to four-year universities after completing their Highline program, with outcomes depending on the student’s grades and the target institution’s requirements.
This guide is based on the Highline College websites as checked on 6 August 2026. Tuition estimates, deadlines and visa requirements change, so always verify against the latest versions of the official sites before making decisions. Every applicant’s English level, program interest and budget differ — if you would like to work through the programs, costs and timeline for your own situation, you can consult our advisors here.