Creates a new law by adding sections to chapter 28B.10 RCW that require any institution of higher education that offers an early course registration period to have a process to offer early registration to students who have dependents. The requirement takes effect beginning in the 2025-26 academic year and includes a legislative finding that students with dependents should receive priority registration because of caregiving responsibilities. The bill requires that new students with dependents who have completed all admission processes be offered an early registration period. It requires that continuing and returning former students with dependents who have met current enrollment requirements be offered early registration among continuing students with the same level of class standing or credit, as determined by the attending institution and according to institutional policies. “Dependents” is defined to mean children 18 years of age or younger under the registering student’s care, and persons who, because of physical or mental disability or extreme advanced age, depend on the registering student for basic necessities. This is a procedural change creating new statutory registration requirements; it does not amend penalties or create criminal offenses. The text provided does not define which institutions are covered, does not specify how dependent status is verified or documented, and does not describe enforcement, penalties for noncompliance, monitoring, or funding and administrative responsibilities.

If enacted, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year students who are caregivers for children under 18 or for people who need help because of disability or advanced age will likely get earlier access to course registration windows, which should make it easier for them to arrange class schedules around caregiving responsibilities and increase their chances of getting needed classes. New students who have finished admissions and continuing or returning students who meet enrollment rules would be prioritized among peers with the same class standing or credits, so those with dependents may have better scheduling options than before. Colleges and universities that already run early registration periods will need to create and apply processes and policies to identify eligible students and reserve early registration slots, which could change how registration windows are structured and add administrative work or modest operational costs. The bill text does not specify which kinds of institutions are covered, how dependent status is verified, who enforces compliance, or whether additional funding will follow, so those implementation details and any related costs or penalties remain uncertain.