ORCA Subsidy at Highline College

For one year (Fall 2026 to Summer 2027) Highline College in partnership with King County Metro and Washington Department of Transportation, is offering all credit students (see eligibility below) a fully subsidized ORCA card, at no additional cost.

Eligibility Requirements:

In order to qualify for the subsidized ORCA card, students must meet one of the following requirements:

1. 1). Must be enrolled in one or more credit classes at Highline College (including online courses) OR
2. 2). Must be a student enrolled in ESOL, pre-college/college-readiness programs, career/workforce training, vocational programs, apprenticeship, or other programs/classes that are working towards a degree or certificate.

Students 18 and younger:

Students who are 18 years of age or younger can get a card but should register their card as a Free Youth ORCA Card. If the student already has a Free Youth ORCA Card they are not eligible for another card.

Students who are not eligible:

1. 1). Continuing education students, even those in a vocational program.
2. 2). F1 and F2, J1, M1 visa holders due to federal compliance laws.

Covered Transit Services:

The ORCA subsidized card will cover the following transportation services at no cost:

• Bus: King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit
• Ferry: King County Water Taxi, Kitsap Local Ferries and Fast Ferries
• Monorail
• Seattle Streetcar
• Rail: Sound Transit Link light rail and Sound Transit Sounder (including Rail Plus partnership with Amtrak Cascades)
• ParaTransit Transportation: King County Metro Access, Kitsap Transit Access, Pierce Transit SHUTTLE, Community Transit DART (Dial-a-Ride Transportation).
• On-Demand Services: Metro Flex, Pierce Transit RUNNER, Community Transit Shuttle, Kitsap Transit Dial-a-Ride

The Highline College ORCA Card is not valid for fare payment on transportation services not listed above and students are responsible for paying any additional fares required for services not covered, or not fully covered, by the assigned ORCA Card. If a student accidentally uses a non college issued ORCA card for transportation on the listed services, no refund or credit will be issued to cover the ride.

Picking up your card

Students that meet the eligibility requirements can pick up their ORCA card at either the Public Safety office or Helpdesk in Building 30 with a valid ID. Online students will need to pick up their cards in person with ID. ORCA cards will not be mailed. Cards can be picked up starting September 28th. 

ORCA cards will be valid from the first day of the quarter until the end of the break after each quarter, at which point cards will be turned off.

For lost cards students will need to complete the Lost ORCA Card form. Please allow three business days for the lost card to be turned off and an email notification to be sent notifying you that your new card is ready for pick up.

Lost ORCA Cards

Students who lose their ORCA cards will need to first report their missing card using the Lost ORCA Card Form prior to getting a new one. Students seeking a replacement card need to pick it up in-person with an ID card

A note about the ORCA program

This program is funded by budget proviso ESSB 6005 and will be available for Highline College students from Fall 2026 to Spring 2027. The proviso’s objective was to establish an affordable/subsidized transit pass for students enrolled in degree or certificate seeking programs at local community and technical colleges. This is an excellent opportunity for the college and we’re excited to be able to offer this to our students for the time being.

Frequently asked questions