Enrollment Terms and Definitions
Learn about enrollment terms and definitions, what they mean and how they apply to your courses and academic load at BC.
Enrollment Services Terms and Definitions:
| Term | Definition and Description |
|---|---|
| Academic Calendar | The official institutional schedule that outlines term start and end dates, registration periods, holidays, and deadlines for payment, refunds, withdrawal, and other key academic dates. The academic calendar is posted online for students. |
| Academic Renewal | A process of permanently changing the grades from a student’s transcript for certain qualifying quarter(s) to an “X” grade. There are specific requirements students must meet in order to qualify and request this. |
| Audit | The process of taking a class, and paying the full tuition and fees, without getting a grade or credit. The class appears permanently on the student’s official transcript with a grade of “N.” More information can be found on the Audit a Course webpage on the Bellevue College website. |
| Bellevue College NetID | The secure username and password credentials used by students at Bellevue College to access institutional systems, including email, online forms, and learning platforms like Canvas. This is different from the ctcLink system and has a different username and password setup. |
| Canvas | The institution’s online learning management system (LMS), used for course materials, assignments, grades, and communication. At Bellevue College, most courses are delivered and supported through Canvas. |
| Combined Section | A course linked with another class. Some courses have specific sections that can be taken together during the same quarter. Students take both of the courses concurrently. Often times, these are courses that would otherwise have to be taken one after the other in separate quarters. The course description on the course catalog will specifically identify which sections can be combined with other sections. Students cannot mix and match different sections. Only those listed in the course description can be combined. Students cannot enroll in only one of the classes in a combined section nor can students drop just one section either. |
| Community Education Courses | Noncredit bearing classes for personal enrichment. Enrollment for Community Education does not require a full application to Bellevue College. Tuition and fees are listed with each class description in the Community Education schedule. An enrollment (registration) time is not needed. Details about each kind of course are on the Community Education and Tombolo Institute website. |
| Continuing Students | Currently registered for classes or has taken classes within the past four quarters. Continuing students enroll during their assigned enrollment time posted in ctcLink. |
| Course Catalog | The official publication that describes available courses, academic programs, degrees, requirements, certificates, course descriptions, prerequisites, academic policies, and degree requirements for a given academic year. |
| Credit Hour/Credit Load | The unit by which the college measures its coursework and is represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement. For a typical course worth 1 credit, the course will have about 3 hours of coursework each week including about 50 minutes of class time for the duration of the quarter. For a credit load of 15 credits, that would mean an average of 45 hours per week of coursework including lecture. |
| ctcLink | The statewide online student information system (SIS) used by Washington community and technical colleges (CTC), including Bellevue College. CtcLink allows students to manage admissions, registration, enrollment, financial aid, tuition payments, class schedules, grades, and academic records. |
| Ctclink ID (student ID number) | A system-generated identification number assigned specifically to each student. The ctcLink ID serves as the student’s official institutional identifier for academic and administrative records. The nine-digit number will be the same for any student at an institution in Washington State using the Community and Technical College (CTC) Link system. This number will be emailed to the student when the their application to BC is processed. If a student has lost their number and the email, the student can request it through our online services page under “Other Student Functions” |
| Ctclink Shopping Cart | A feature within ctcLink that allows students to select and save desired course sections prior to their assigned enrollment time (enrollment appointment). Courses placed in the Shopping Cart are not officially registered until the student completes the enrollment process. |
| Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) | This is the most popular and flexible transfer degree in Washington State. Students can complete their general education requirements while earning this associate degree, then transfer to complete their bachelor’s degree. Useful for students who haven’t yet chosen a field of study or decided on a four-year institution. There are several different types of DTA degrees depending on the general field of study students are looking to go into. Students should talk with an academic advisor about seeing if this kind of degree is a good fit for their goals. |
| Dynamic Dated | A course section that does not follow the standard academic term start and end dates. These are classes that may start late or end early. Instead, the course is scheduled with its own unique beginning and end dates within a term. Courses may have adjusted deadlines for registration, add/drop, withdrawal, grading, and refund eligibility that correspond specifically to the section’s start and end dates rather than the full academic session calendar. |
| Enrollment Appointment / Registration Time | Also known as the Add/Drop Period. The designated timeframe during which students are eligible to register for courses for a given quarter. Enrollment periods may be assigned a time based on criteria such as student classification, completed credits, or program participation. The add/drop period refers specifically to the early portion of the term when students may adjust their schedules without academic penalty, subject to published deadlines on the academic calendar. |
| Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) | This is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA grants students the right to limit the disclosure of personally identifiable information without the student’s consent, except as permitted by law. More information about FERPA and a release of information can be found on the Bellevue College website. |
| Full-time / Part-time Credit Load | For academic purposes, 12 credit hours or more is considered a full-time load, 9 to 11 credit hours is considered three-quarter time (part-time) and 6 to 8 credit hours is considered a half-time (part-time) load. To complete a 90-credit degree program within two years, students must average 15 credit hours per quarter (not including summer). The college limits quarterly enrollment to 21 credits or less. There are no exceptions for students to take more than 27 credits. See how to obtain permission to Enroll for more than 21 Credits. |
| Grade Point Average (GPA) | A numerical measure of academic performance calculated by assigning point values to letter grades and averaging them based on attempted credit hours. Letter grades to points conversions can be found in Policy 3000. GPA can be calculated cumulatively (overall), for a specific quarter (term), or within a specific program of study. For example, a 1-credit class with an “A” grade will give 4.00 Grade Points while a 5-credit class with an “A” grade will give 20.00 Grade Points (5 times 4.00). To calculate Grade Point Average, divide the number of Grade Points earned by the number of credits attempted. This calculation can also be found on a student’s transcript. |
| Hold / Service Indicator | An administrative restriction placed on a student’s account that prevents certain actions, such as registration or transcript release, until specified requirements are resolved. Common holds relate to advising requirements, outstanding balances, or missing documentation. Not every hold will block a student’s registration. Some holds will stop the student from being dropped for not paying for their classes while others are just informational. A student can click on the hold in ctcLink to see important details about it. |
| Instruction Mode | The way the course is planned to be taught. There are a few different ways that courses can be taught by instructors. The type of instruction mode for a course is listed on the course catalog. Hybrid: Courses are part online and part on campus. Hybrid classes often meet on campus more than one day per week. The rest of student work is completed online via Canvas, our learning management system. Online Scheduled: Virtual class meetings held on specific days at specific times online, typically through Zoom or Canvas. Courses may include asynchronous activities (without a set time). May require remote proctored exams. Zero required time on campus as courses are completed entirely online via Canvas, our learning management system. Note: some classes may require remote proctored exams. Online Scheduled with In-Person: virtual class meetings held on specific days at specific times. Non-instructional in-person activities such as orientation, assessment and/or exam are required. Online Asynchronous: all required instruction occurs online without a set time to attend but within a specified time frame. The instructor may choose to offer optional synchronous sessions where attendance is not required. May require remote proctored exams. Online Asynchronous with In-Person: all required instruction occurs online without a set time to attend but within a specified time frame. Non-instructional in-person activities such as orientation, assessment and/or exam are required. In-Person: courses are taught entirely on campus. The instructor will post information for students on Canvas, our learning management system. Posts may include the syllabus, learning materials, and assignments. Online Asynchronous: classes involve students learning on their own. Students will watch lectures, do readings, etc. on their own schedule. Students may have scheduled exams and assignments due throughout the quarter. Flexible: meets at specific days and times, both online and on campus; students may switch modes throughout the term. |
| Medical Withdraw | A process of being dropped from all classes in a quarter because the student experienced an unexpected documented serious medical situation that prevents them from successfully completing the quarter. This is requested by the student through an appeal process. This may result in a refund of tuition and fees. |
| Open Entry / Open Exit | An instructional format that allows students to begin (enter) and complete (exit) a course at flexible points in time rather than adhering to fixed academic term start and end dates. Students may enroll at multiple points during a defined period and may progress at an atypical pace. Typically, students need to work directly with the instructor for the course to discuss class expectation, credit amounts, dates for starting and ending work. These classes are still subject to refund deadlines and drop deadlines, but they may differ from regular academic schedule classes. Refund deadlines and drop deadlines for these classes are dependent upon when the student enrolls in the class. |
| Open / Rolling Admissions | An admissions process at Bellevue College as a general student in which applications are accepted and reviewed on an ongoing basis rather than after a fixed deadline. Under open or rolling admissions, students may apply throughout the year and receive admission decisions as applications are processed, subject to program capacity and eligibility requirements. Deadlines to apply for any given quarter are posted on the academic calendar. Some specific programs have hard deadlines for applications, though. See Selective Admissions. |
| Permission Number | A unique code issued by an instructor or academic department chair/program manager that authorizes a student to enroll in a specific course or section. Permission numbers are typically required when prerequisites have not been verified, when enrolling in a restricted course, or when adding a class after standard deadlines. When enrolling, ctcLink will always ask if the student has a permission number but students are not always required to have one. For most classes, the student can click “save” to go to the next step. There is also a tutorial on how to use a permission number issued to a student. |
| Prerequisite | A course that students must complete (often with a certain minimum grade) or a skill that students must demonstrate before they can register for a more advanced course. Students who completed the prerequisite at another college or university may visit the course prerequisites website to learn how to verify completion of the prerequisite or see how a placement test can be completed. |
| Regular Academic Session | The standard academic term timeframe established by the institution that aligns with the official academic calendar (e.g., first Summer, Fall, Winter then Spring Quarter). Courses offered within a Regular Academic Session follow the published start and end dates, deadlines for registration, add/drop, withdrawal, grading, and refund eligibility. |
| Repeat Indicators / Institution’s Repeat Rules | This is a note on the student’s Bellevue College transcript that the student took the same class more than one time at Bellevue College. The two common types of indicators are “Repeat-Exclude” and “Repeat-Include.” Bellevue College uses the highest grade earned when determining a student’s Grade Point Average (GPA) as the course that is “included” while the lower grade will be “excluded” from the GPA calculation. Full information can be found on the Bellevue College Webpage on course repeats. |
| Residency Status | A classification that determines whether a student is considered a Washington resident called “in-state/resident” or “out-of-state/non-resident.” This is determined for tuition purposes to determine tuition rates. Residency status is determined in accordance with state law and institutional policy and directly impacts tuition and fee assessment. More information can be found on the Washington State residency webpage. |
| Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory Grading | A grading method in which student performance is evaluated as “Satisfactory” (S) or “Unsatisfactory” (U) rather than by traditional letter grades. A Satisfactory grade indicates that the student has met the established learning outcomes and minimum course standards, while an Unsatisfactory grade indicates that those standards were not achieved. Financial Aid may still calculate the course into a student’s GPA for purposes of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). In courses designated with S/U grading, the determination to use this grading method is established by the instructor and/or the academic department in accordance with institutional policy. Grading type for the class is set as the official grading scheme for the entire course and students cannot choose the grading type for the class just for themselves. |
| Selective Admissions | A part of the special application process for academic programs with limited seats or specific requirements to join. Some specific programs have hard deadlines for applications. Students should check the webpage for their program or talk to an academic advisor if they want to know if the degree or certificate they want requires a separate application to that program or degree. Students can search the name of their program using the search function on the BC website to find the program page. The application to Bellevue College is different from the application into a specific program at Bellevue College that has uses a selective admission process. |
| Swap Classes | A feature in ctcLink to switch between two classes by having the ctclink system drop one class and add a different one. This can also help with being on the waitlist for a preferred class. More information can be found on the waitlist information webpage. |
| Term Enrollment Limits / Unit Limit / Maximum Session | See Full-time/Part-time Credit Load definition See Waitlist definition. The maximum number of credits a student can be enrolled in at one time for a given quarter. The college limits quarterly enrollment to 21 credits or less. See how to obtain permission to Enroll for more than 21 Credits. There are no exceptions for students to take more than 27 credits. Students can also only be on 6 credits worth of waitlist at one time. For example, a student could be on the waitlist for two 3-credit courses or one 5-credit course and one 1-credit course. The maximum number of credits a student can register for may be different if the student is on academic standing after their third quarter. |
| Term/Quarter | An academic period during which courses are offered and completed. Bellevue College uses the quarter system so the academic year consists of Summer, Fall, Winter, and then Spring Quarters. In ctcLink, a student will use the word ‘term’ only. On campus, you may hear the words ‘term’ and ‘quarter’ used in the same way. For example, Fall Quarter and Winter Quarter is a way to describe the Fall or Winter term. |
| Transcript, Unofficial or Official | Unofficial Transcript: An academic record that lists courses taken, grades earned, and credentials awarded but is not certified by the institution. Unofficial transcripts are typically used for personal reference or advising purposes. See our step-by-step guide to viewing your unofficial transcript in ctclink. Official Transcript: A certified academic record issued by the institution, bearing an official stamp or secure electronic authentication. Official transcripts are typically required for transfer, employment verification, or graduate school applications. See all the ways to request your official transcript. |
| Transfer Student | A transfer student has completed classes at another college or university, and plans to transfer that coursework to a degree or certificate offered at Bellevue College. Transfer students apply for admission and follow the same enrollment process as new or former BC students. Please note that Transitional Studies and transfer student are not the same. For more information about transferring credits to Bellevue College, visit the transfer to Bellevue website. |
| Waitlist | A system that allows eligible students to place themselves in queue for a closed (full) course section. If a seat becomes available, students will be automatically entered into the class if there are no errors with them joining in the ctcLink system. Students can only be on 6 credits worth of waitlist at one time. For example, a student could be on the waitlist for two 3-credit classes or one 5-credit class and another 1-credit class. The waitlist information webpage has more information. |
| Withdraw With Penalty/ Drop With Penalty Calendar Date | This is the last day a student can drop their course in ctclink. Students will receive a “W” grade on their transcript if they drop the course after the last day to drop without a penalty. Full dates can be found on the Bellevue College academic calendar. |
| Withdraw Without Penalty/ Drop – Retain Record Calendar Date | This is the last day a student can drop their course in ctclink without getting a “W” on their transcript. Full dates can be found on the Bellevue College academic calendar. |