About the Occasional Audit Program
On rare occasions, individuals without a current Washington University role (specifically, individuals who are not current students, current employees, or current postdoctoral fellows) have the opportunity to audit courses (no more than one per semester) within Arts & Sciences for a $500 administrative fee. These individuals must complete the Occasional Audit Program Enrollment Request and are non-degree-seeking students (sometimes called unclassified students or students not candidate for degree) and receive instructor permission for this audit option. Even with instructor permission, these audits will only be allowed if course seats remain open at the end of the add/drop period for degree-seeking students.
Current students, employees, and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible for this audit program. Current students may audit courses when audit is a permitted grade option for the courses, but they must pay full tuition charges to audit the courses if the audited course units are outside the students’ full-time base tuition charges. Employees and postdoctoral fellows must refer to their tuition benefit options for enrollment in any coursework at Washington University.
All audits – whether for current students or for individuals without current Washington University roles – are transcripted. However, audited courses do not earn credits and do not count toward degrees.
Program Requirements
Individuals interested in enrolling in a course through the Arts & Sciences audit program would need to complete the Occasional Audit Program Enrollment Request. If the applicant is eligible for the audit program, the advisor for the Occasional Audit Program will contact the instructor of the requested course to request permission for the applicant to register to audit the course.
If instructor approval is granted and course seats remain open after the add/drop period for degree-seeking students, the applicant will be enrolled in the course through the Arts & Sciences audit program of study.
Washington University uses Canvas as a tool for instructors to provide course materials, assignments, etc., to individuals enrolled in courses. Because enrollment in a course through the Occasional Audit Program is viable only after the add/drop deadline, individuals who are applying to the Occasional Audit Program will not have access to Canvas until they are officially registered for the course following the add/drop period. Individuals who are applying to audit a course and would like access to course materials in advance of being added to Canvas must work with the course instructor to attempt to receive course materials through other means until the individual is registered for the course.
Selection of Candidates and Admission Criteria
Candidates will apply as non-degree seeking students. If the applicant is a current Washington University student, employee, or postdoctoral fellow, their enrollment request will be denied. Pre-college applicants will also be denied access to the program as they generally want/need credit for their coursework. Other applicants will be allowed to enroll in a course through the audit program with the instructor’s permission if course seats remain open at the end of the add/drop period for degree-seeking students.
The program fee is $500. Participants are responsible for any lab, material, or other related course fees.