Student Resources

Eligibility to Enroll in Credit Courses

To enroll in credit courses, all students need a high school diploma or GED. Current high school students may enroll through the High School Concurrent program.

A student who has been denied admission to a CU-Boulder undergraduate degree program cannot enroll through ACCESS during the term for which he/she has been denied.

For fall and spring semesters, if you are under 22 years of age as of September 15 for fall or January 15 for spring, not in high school, and not officially admitted or enrolled in a CU-Boulder degree program, you must meet criteria similar to those of freshmen entering the University. To determine your eligibility to take credit classes, you must meet (by phone or in person) with a Continuing Education academic advisor and provide copies of your high school transcript and SAT or ACT scores.

Individuals with University of Colorado service indicators (financial stops) may not enroll.

Students on academic probation/suspension/dismissal from the Boulder campus may only enroll in Continuing Education programs approved by their school or college. (Please see the Academic Standards section for more information about these restrictions.)

Advising Requirements for Nondegree Students

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 in order to continue enrolling in Continuing Education course work. Students who have not maintained a GPA of 2.0 after completing one semester will have an academic advising hold placed on their records. These students will be ineligible to enroll in additional course work until they consult with an academic advisor and have the hold lifted. (Please see the Academic Standards section for more information about these GPA requirements and holds.)

Regardless of GPA, all nondegree students who have earned 15+ credit hours are required to meet with a Continuing Education advisor regarding their academic goals. Nondegree students will be ineligible to enroll in additional course work until they obtain this consultation.

Future Admission to CU-Boulder

Undergraduate

If you are considering future undergraduate admission to CU-Boulder, you should meet with a Continuing Education academic advisor before enrolling in courses. Depending on your specific circumstances, we may also encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions before enrolling in Continuing Education courses. An admissions counselor can assist you in determining what you will need as a nondegree student to satisfy the admission criteria established by the individual colleges and schools. For more information visit the prospective student website.

The credits and grade point average earned as a nondegree student may apply toward degree requirements once you are admitted as a degree student. However, applicability of these hours toward a degree is established by the schools and colleges. Limits and transfer credit criteria may vary by department.

Graduate

Admission to graduate programs is done through the individual departments. You may want to contact each of the departments in which you are interested to determine what is necessary for admission. For example, some departments may require prerequisites if you have not had the necessary educational background for a program. If you should need undergraduate or graduate courses as prerequisites before you can apply to a graduate program, you may take these courses as a nondegree (not formally admitted) student through Continuing Education.

Some graduate departments will require an admissions exam such as the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) before you apply. You may also be able to begin your graduate course work through the ACCESS program.

The graduate credits you earn as a nondegree student may be applicable toward your degree requirements if you are admitted as a graduate student. However, applicability of these hours is established by the schools and colleges. For graduate courses, a department may accept as many as 9 semester hours taken as a nondegree student toward a master’s and 21 semester hours toward a doctoral degree. Even with this guideline, limits and transfer credit criteria may vary by department, school, or college. Some upper-division and graduate courses have restrictions and you may need to obtain a Special Action Form from the appropriate department or professor before enrolling. It is essential that as a nondegree student you seek academic advising from the appropriate graduate department prior to enrolling through the ACCESS program.

Enrollment Restrictions Independent Learning

Arts and Sciences, Journalism, and Business Students

Students from CU’s College of Arts and Sciences, Journalism and Mass Communication Department, and Leeds School of Business are only allowed to be enrolled in two self-paced courses at one time. After completing one or both of your courses, you may register for more, as long as you are active in only two courses at a time. It is your responsibility to see that you are not enrolled in more than the permitted number of courses.

Engineering Students

Students on academic suspension from the CU-Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science need to get their Dean’s written approval prior to enrolling.

Administrative Drop for Nonattendance

If you do not attend your Boulder Evening or term-based Independent Learning courses regularly during the first week through the last day to drop, you may be administratively dropped. Check with your instructor or contact us at 303-492-5148 or ceregistration@colorado.edu for additional information. Nonattendance does not constitute withdrawal and you may still be charged for your courses unless you officially drop before the published deadline.