Disbursement & Refunds

The processing of getting you your awarded financial aid is call “Disbursement”.  Each quarter, you will go through the same general process to receive your disbursement of financial aid funding.

1. Receive the “Tuition and fees are due” email and ctcLink Student Portal Message Center message about 2 weeks before the Tuition and Fees due date.
2. Login to your ctcLink Student Portal and click on “HOLDS” to ensure you have one called “Financial Aid—Do Not Drop”
   • If you don’t have this hold, then you do not have an accepted Financial Aid Offer Letter and must pay your own tuition and fees by the due date
3. The week before the quarter starts, your financial aid will be adjusted to match your enrollment level. If you are not eligible for funds at your enrollment, you will be sent a Message Center Message in ctcLink.
4. Financial Aid will disburse your funds on the date listed above, paying the owing balance on your college account.
5. Final adjustments of your financial aid will happen following the Financial Aid Census Date, and you will be notified through the Message Center if you owe back any financial aid.
6. Check your owing balance and pay the remainder on the date listed above.

Some students will not receive enough financial aid assistance to cover their entire owing balance each quarter.  In those cases, you have 3 options to pay your remaining balance.

Paying by the Tuition and Fee Due Date

1. On the Tuition and Fee Due go to the ctcLink Student Portal, and under “Holds”, ensure you see a Financial Aid Hold called “Financial Aid—Do Not Drop”.
   1. If you don’t see this hold the Financial Aid Office is not holding you in your classes and you will need to pay the entire owing balance.
2. Go to your ctcLink Student Portal and review your total quarterly charges under the Finance Tile.
   1. Note: Financial aid has not paid to your student account so this is what you owe before financial aid pays.
3. Subtract your financial aid from your student account balance and pay this amount

The Financial Aid Office will begin disbursing financial aid on the first day of each quarter.  The Financial Aid Office will capture your enrollment information on the Financial Aid Census Date and make one final adjustment to your financial aid.  If you add classes after this date, you are responsible for paying for that class out of pocket.  If you drop a class after this date, you will be subject to the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.

Confirm Payment in Full

On the Check Remaining Balance and Pay Reminder date listed above, login to your ctcLink Student Portal and check your owing balance on the Finance Tile.  If there’s an owing balance you must pay it by 12pm or you may be dropped from your classes.

Nelnet Payment Plan

The Nelnet Payment Plan allows you to spread out your payments so you don’t need to pay your full owing balance all at once.  This is an excellent alternative to paying with a credit card, which often times will cost more than the payment plan.

You can always view the full list of quarterly dates for the payment plan, including enrollment dates, down payment amount, and number of payments per quarter.  

Tuition Payment Options

Federal Student Loans are a way to help finance your education when you need additional funds to cover direct expenses like tuition, fees, and books.  Highline does not recommend borrowing loans to pay for housing or basic living expenses.

Loans take about 30 days to set up.  You are eligible for a Hold code to prevent you from being dropped from your classes only after you complete the 3 steps below before the Tuition and Fee Due date.

1. Go to the Financial Aid Forms and select Student Loan Request Form
2. While completing the Student Loan Request Form, follow the instructions to complete:
   1. Loan Entrance Counseling
   2. Loan Master Promissory Note
3. Submit the Student Loan Request Form

Students who have more financial aid then they have direct expenses will be issued their remaining financial aid as a “refund” through BankMobile, a third party company employed by Highline College.

Many colleges in Washington use BankMobile.  If you’ve used BankMobile at a previous school, you will need to set up a new account specifically for use at Highline.  BankMobile accounts require a unique email address, so if you had a BankMobile account with a different college you need to use a different email address when setting up your account with Highline.

With BankMobile you will get to choose one refund method:

• Vibe Card: You are opening a checking account with BankMobile and will be issued a debit card called a Vibe Card. It can take 10 days to get your Vibe Card, but typically you’ll get access to your money the same day it is sent to BankMobile. However, if at any time you fall below 6 credits of enrollment at Highline, BankMobile will charge you $25 per month for this account.  If your BankMobile account is empty, and they cannot take the $25 from your account, you’ll also be charged overdraft fees.
• Direct Deposit: Your financial aid refund will be sent to your current checking or savings account at any banking institution or credit union. Your refund takes between 3-7 days to get from BankMobile to your bank, but most students get their refund in 3-5 days.  There are no fees for this service.
• Paper Check: BankMobile will mail you a paper check. This process can take 10-45 days.  Lost checks can be difficult to get reissued and may further delay your refund.  Both Highline and BankMobile discourage students from choosing this option.