You have an assigned academic advisor who will be reaching out to you throughout the duration of your time at Clark College and is available to meet with you in person, virtually, or assist via email or phone. If you do work with another advisor, feel free to work with whoever you feel most comfortable with as you plan your time at Clark.

You can find who your assigned advisor is in ctcLink. On your student homepage, go into the Academic Progress tile and select the Advisors tab.  You can learn more about the academic advisors on our Advising Services team page.

Some programs at Clark College are advised by faculty advisors and your faculty advisor will be assigned to you in ctcLink. For programs that are facult advised, check out the Program Advising Contacts page.

Early and often! Students are encouraged to meet with an advisor prior to or within their first term at Clark. From there, it depends on your needs - some students check in once, others come each term for planning, academic strategies, support, and schedule adjustments. Our office tends to get busier towards the start of classes, so planning ahead is highly encouraged. 

To make your advising session as productive as possible:

• Make sure you have applied to the college and have a ctcLink ID number
• Complete placement for English and math.
• If you have earned any college credits or taken AP tests, please make sure to order official copies of all transcripts and test scores and have them sent directly to Clark College. Evaluation of transcripts can take weeks so it is also very helpful to have an unofficial transcript available to show your advisor.
• Become familiar with your degree requirements by viewing the Catalog or Program Maps under Advising Tools.
• If you're planning to transfer, research different colleges and universities about your specific program, if possible.
• Make a list of your questions. We love questions!

For virtual appointments: 

• We recommend being  in a quiet, private location with a good internet connection. (Please no driving during your appointment). Dress for your Academic Advising appointment the same way you would for an in-person appointment. 

For in-person appointments: 

• Please arrive a few minutes early to check in. We are located in Gaiser Hall room 108.
• If you are feeling ill, please email your advisor directly or advising@clark.edu to change to a virtual appointment or cancel.

Be ready for an interactive session where you and your advisor discuss your plans, strategies and goals. Your advisor can: 

• Provide you with information about program requirements
• Discuss concerns about your academic performance
• Assist you in creating academic and graduation plans
• Provide you information about college policies and resources

Summer & Fall registration happens in May and Winter & Spring registration happens in November. It is important to register for both terms you plan to attend to get the best selection of classes.

Most degrees and certificates at Clark require a class in English or math in order to graduate and some classes have a math or English requirement in order to enroll. Knowing your placement early will help you and your advisor develop a realistic and thoughtful plan towards graduation. Clark has multiple ways to determine eligibility for English and mathematics (and many do not require a test!) - please go to the Assessment page for more information.

Assessment Page

If a class shows that Department Consent is required, please contact the instructor directly. You can find their contact information by searching the employee directory.

Clark College Employee Search Directory

During the registration process, there is a screen that will pop up for all courses that indicates an area for permission codes and waitlists. Continue forward through the registration process and if it gives you an error code at the end of the registration process, you will then need a permission code.

A class permission code is a five- or six-digit number that is specific to a class section. Students can request class permission codes from Advising or from the instructor. 

A prerequisite course is a course or requirement that must be met in order to take another course. For example, ENGL 101 must be completed with a C or better before taking ENGL 102. If you are currently taking the prerequisite course, you can register for the next course for the term because we assume you will pass with a C or better. If you end up not getting the grade needed to progress, you will be dropped from the next term’s class after grades are posted.

Co-requisite courses are courses that must be taken at the same time. You must register for these courses at the same time as well.

Meet with a Career Advisor in Career Services to explore careers, research potential employers, choose a college major, or find training programs to reach your educational and career goals.

Please connect with your instructor first to see if any further accommodations can be made to help you succeed in the course. Many supports and resources are available to you as a student - tutoring, financial support, counseling, academic coaching - please talk with an Academic Advisor or Student Success Coach for additional options. Please connect as early as possible!

Work with our Student Success Coaches

If you are interested in transferring to a 4-year institution after Clark, please connect with that college or university directly to find out about program requirements, dates and deadlines for applications or scholarships and more. You can connect with their admissions office or specific program advisors. Academic Advisors can help navigate this research process and where to start with transferring. More information about transferring can be found on our page under the transfer page.

The AAT and AAS degree programs are two-year degrees designed primarily to prepare students to enter the workforce.  Although these programs are not intended for transfer to a four-year college or university, in some cases courses may transfer. The transfer degrees are intended to transfer to a four-year college or university, and often may include prerequisite classes that universities will require for specific programs like business or engineering. Students should consult early and often with an academic advisor about their plans and transfer options in order to take courses at Clark that will be most applicable to their future education goals.

Some classes have waiting lists available after the class fills up. If a class is full, and you try to register for it, you may be given the option to add yourself to the waitlist. First, you must confirm that you want to add yourself to the waitlist. If another student drops the class, they will create a seat opening - the next person on the waitlist will then be automatically enrolled.

The waitlist process ends two Fridays prior to the first day of class for the quarter. If you have not been enrolled into the class from the waitlist by that time, you will be deleted from the waitlist and will need to find alternative classes, or continue to try to register for the class. If a seat becomes available prior to the start of the quarter, you can register for it online through the second day of the quarter. If the class remains full, you can contact the instructor to ask for permission to be added to the class. If they approve your request, you can either forward that email to enroll@clark.edu (include your ctcLink ID) or complete the Registration form. 

We can give general advising information that is not specific to another person’s student account, even if you are a parent or guardian. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, or FERPA, is a federal law protecting the privacy of student records and outlining the obligations of an educational institution, primarily in the areas of release of records and the access provided to records. For more information, please go to our policies page.

Student Records Policies Page

To drop a class, you can go to your ctcLink student homepage and under Manage Classes, go to your Drop Classes tab. Select the course you want to drop, confirm your decision and you will then be officially dropped from the course.

Before doing so, please make sure to connect with an advisor and/or financial aid specialist as dropping a class after the first day of term can affect your financial aid eligibility and program status.

If you fail to attend one or more class sessions during the first five days of the quarter, you may be dropped from the class. However, not all instructors drop students from classes when students don't attend. If you miss any classes during the first five days, you are responsible for verifying your enrollment status. It is your responsibility to drop yourself from any class that you do not plan on attending. You will be held responsible for any tuition that was paid by you or any agency (including Financial Aid) for classes you do not withdraw from. If you are dropped by your instructor from a class you do not attend within the first five days of the quarter for non-attendance, you will receive a full refund of tuition and fees if due.

If you are not able to attend your classes on the first day due to an emergency, you should contact your instructor to discuss your options. If you are unable to reach your instructor, you should contact the Instructional Unit or the Office of Instruction. The phone number for the Office of Instruction is 360-992-2291.

Yes! You must apply for graduation and we suggest doing so two terms before you plan to graduate. This allows plenty of time to adjust schedules in order to meet graduation requirements.

There are two ways to apply for graduation:

• If your degree is correct in ctcLink, go to your Student Homepage and under Academic Progress, select "Apply for Graduation". 
• If you need to update your major or are applying for graduation with multiple majors (including WA State High School Diploma), please use the graduation application PDF form below and email it to credeval@clark.edu.

Graduation Application PDF Form