Student Financial Responsibility Agreement

Expand or collapse content Overview

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) has introduced a unified Student Financial Responsibility Agreement (SFRA) across all community and technical colleges in the state. This system-wide standard enhances compliance with both state and federal regulations, reduces financial risk, and simplifies administrative procedures. The initiative reflects SBCTC’s legislative mandate to establish consistent practices wherever statutory compliance is essential.

By implementing this global SFRA, SBCTC enhances transparency, ensures legal compliance, and strengthens the financial integrity of Washington’s college system.

The global SFRA will:

  • Ensure regulatory compliance with RCW statutes (e.g., RCW 28B.10.293, RCW 43.17.240, RCW 19.16.500) and federal laws such as the U.S. Bankruptcy Code 523(a)(8).
  • Promote operational consistency by replacing varied college practices with a unified agreement framework.
  • Support risk mitigation by reducing unpaid debts, improving collections, and minimizing legal exposure.

Key process attributes include:

  • Universal Agreement Requirement: All students with potential financial obligations must submit an SFRA annually, excluding minors, Continuing Education, and DOC students.
  • ctcLink Integration: Agreements are managed within ctcLink, enabling consistent tracking and access across colleges.
  • Staff Operations: College staff can accept and record agreements, including manual entries for students not using ctcLink.
  • Support Resources: SBCTC will provide a Quick Reference Guide to assist colleges and students.
Expand or collapse content How the SFRA Process Works

Each year, beginning with the summer term and continuing through the end of spring, a Service Indicator (SI) hold titled “Financial Agreement Required” is placed on student accounts once they are term activated. This process ensures that students complete the Student Financial Responsibility Agreement (SFRA) annually before registering for classes. Students who are under the age of 18, as well as Department of Corrections and Continuing Education students, are excluded from this requirement. To support this process, SBCTC SF has created two distinct service indicators, one for odd-numbered years and one for even-numbered years to help track compliance.

Students enrolling through ctcLink must electronically accept the SFRA terms each year prior to registration; once the agreement is submitted, the SI hold is automatically removed.

For students who enroll outside of ctcLink, a paper version of the SFRA must be signed. Staff will then manually apply a “Financial Agreement Completed” service indicator to the student’s account to reflect that the agreement has been submitted. This indicator is informational only and does not impact the student’s ability to enroll.

Expand or collapse content Implementation Timeline
College Name SFRA Go-Live Quarter Go-Live Date
Bates Technical College 2261 Winter ?
Bellevue College 2255 Summer 5/2/2025
Bellingham Technical College 2261 Winter 10/1/2025
Big Bend Community College 2263 Spring 1/1/2026
Cascadia College 2261 Winter 10/15/2025
Centralia College 2257 Fall 5/12/2025
Clark College 2261 Winter 11/3/2025
Clover Park Technical College 2257 Fall 5/7/2025
Columbia Basin College 2261 Winter 10/27/2025
Edmonds College 2263 Spring 11/10/2025
Everett Community College 2261 Winter 10/2/2025
Grays Harbor College 2263 Spring  
Green River College 2261 Winter 10/6/2025
Highline College 2255 Summer 5/8/2025
Lake Washington Institute of Technology 2261 Winter 10/24/2025
Lower Columbia College 2263 Spring 1/1/2026
Olympic College 2261 Winter 11/1/2025
Peninsula College 2255 Summer 5/19/2025
Pierce College 2255 Summer 6/2/2025
Renton Technical College 2261 Winter 10/1/2025
Seattle Central 2261 Winter 10/27/2025
Seattle North 2261 Winter 10/27/2025
Seattle South 2261 Winter 10/27/2025
Shoreline Community College 2263 Spring  
Skagit Valley College 2263 Spring  
South Puget Sound Community College 2257 Summer 5/6/2025
Spokane Community College 2261 Winter 10/21/2025
Spokane Falls Community College 2261 Winter 10/21/2025
Tacoma Community College 2263 Spring  
Walla Walla Community College 2261 Winter 10/23/2025
Wenatchee Valley College 2261 Winter 10/1/2025
Whatcom Community College 2261 Winter 10/16/2025
Yakima Valley College 2261 Winter 11/10/2025
Expand or collapse content Student QRG
Expand or collapse content Mass Assign/Release Service Indicators

Please refer to the  Batch Processing Service Indicators QRG.

Expand or collapse content Example BEdA Process

Thank you to Highline College for providing this example process they use with their BEdA students.

New students attend orientation, where they review the printed SFRA alongside other required paperwork. During the session, they are asked to read and sign the agreement. Following orientation, the Highline BEdA Admin Team processes the signed forms by running a mass assign into ctcLink to record completion.  

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