Applications are currently being accepted for Yakima Valley College’s Running Start Program for the winter quarter 2023.

The Running Start Program offers eligible high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to enroll in college classes at YVC’s Yakima and Grandview campuses, as well as online courses, and receive both high school and college credit without having to pay tuition. Public, private and homeschool students are eligible for Running Start.

Running Start students can:

  • Get a head start on college by earning up to two years of college credit, tuition-free
  • Attend classes full- or part-time
  • Select and sample diverse classes
  • Transition to college life
  • Save thousands of dollars completing their college degree and get started in a career more quickly

The program has helped students like Taylor Yates ’19 discover her passion and get a head-start on earning a 4-year degree.

“Running Start gave me the skills at a young age to be independent in figuring out problem solving and pushing myself for the next level. YVC was the perfect place for that,” said Yates.

That push and determination helped Yates become involved on the YVC campus beyond her classes. She served as the public relations and marketing officer for the college’s student government (ASYVC), a student ambassador, Running Start club president, and a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the art club. She also was a star athlete playing on the Davis High School varsity softball team.

She later earned a bachelor’s in business management with cum laude honors from Agnes Scott College and had a job lined up upon graduation with Play Sports Community. She’s currently operations and marketing coordinator for the adult sports league marketing and social media company based in New Jersey and also coaches a traveling softball team.

Start your college degree in high school— applications to participate in Running Start must be submitted by November 4 for winter quarter 2023 which begins on January 3. For more information visit:  yvcc.edu/RunningStart.