Running Start
Get ahead on your college experience while in high school and ease the transition to future education and career opportunities! FVCC’s Running Start program provides eligible high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to get an affordable start on their education by earning college credits while still in high school.
The first six credits are tuition FREE for Montana students, and subsequent courses are offered at 50% of in-district tuition costs. Courses numbered 100 and above are eligible for Running Start.
Steps to Apply to Running Start
Homeschool students must submit a high school transcript. If taking 6 or more credits, please submit a copy of your health records: immunization records demonstrating proof you have two doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), or a religious or medical exemption.
Visit Placement Testing for more information. Your application for admissions must be submitted and processed prior to taking placement tests.
All Running Start students must take the reading and writing placement tests available online. If you’re interested in registering for a math or chemistry class, you also need to take the math and/or chemistry placement tests. If you have taken the ACT test, you may not be required to take the placement test.
After completing your placement tests, email us at runningstart@fvcc.edu to arrange a time to meet with a FVCC Running Start advisor to discuss course options and finalize paperwork.
Make sure to seek advice from your high school counselor regarding course applicability and high school credit equivalency.
Complete the Running Start Registration Form and return it to your Running Start advisor.
Complete an Information Release Authorization form and return it to the Admissions Office.
Running Start has propelled me to be able to start at a university sooner and given me some opportunities I wouldn't have had. I hope to be an astronaut. I'm headed to the UCF to study aerospace engineering and minor in dance.
Payton Kallenberger
Associate of Arts and Associate of Science
I started with a Running Start class my senior year at Columbia Falls High School—just the intro to welding course. I loved it. My brother’s an ironworker in Spokane, and I used to weld with him in our dad’s garage. That’s where it really clicked for me. I followed that interest here to FVCC and just finished the program.
Haily Mundel
Welding Student, Class of 2025
Fall 2025
| Category | Session A: 1st 8 weeks | Session B: 2nd 8 weeks | Full Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session Dates | Aug 25-Oct 15 | Oct 16-Dec 5 | Aug 25-Dec 12 |
| End of 100% refund and last day to drop without a “W” grade | Sept 2 | Oct 23 | Sept 15 |
| Last day to withdraw from classes with a “W” grade or request/rescind an audit grade | Oct 3 | Nov 24 | Nov 11 |
Spring 2026 - Registration begins November 19, 2025
| Category | Session A: 1st 8 weeks | Session B: 2nd 8 weeks | Full Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session Dates | Jan 20-March 11 | March 12-May 8 | Jan 20-May 14 |
| End of 100% refund and last day to drop without a “W” grade | Jan 27 | March 19 | Feb 9 |
| Last day to withdraw from classes with a “W” grade or request/rescind an audit grade | Feb 27 | April 27 | April 15 |
FAQ
Meet The Team
Email us with any questions or for more information.