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.

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.

Student Financial Responsibility Agreement (SFRA): Roles and Responsibilities

How to Complete your SFRA

Please refer to the Batch Processing Service Indicators QRG.

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.