Non-program student FAQs

Students in individualized study have up to 6 months to complete a 3-credit course and up to 12 months to complete a 6-credit course. Students in grouped study or those receiving financial assistance have shortened course contracts.

If you are thinking about completing a course in under 3 months, you should consider how your progress will affect or be affected by the following factors:

• Requests for the start date of next month’s course contract must be received and processed before the 10th of the previous month. Hard copy course materials (if applicable) can take up to 2 weeks to arrive.
• Students cannot contact their tutor, academic support, or book exams until the official start date of the course contract.
• An assignment can take up to 8 business days after the marker has received it, to be marked.
• After an exam is written, it is returned to the university by the invigilator. It is forwarded to the marker. The mark is sent to the administrative course assistant, who issues a final grade report and forwards it to the Office of the Registrar. Exams can take up to 8 business days to be marked. Mailing time is not included.
• The final grade is updated in the student information system by the Office of the Registrar. This can take up to 8 business days.

Contact the Information Centre for more information.

Your unofficial final grades can be viewed in your Gradebook on myAU up to 10 business days after AU receives your last assignment or exam, as per AU’s service standards.

The timeframe for an official grade to be posted in your student record can vary significantly during peak times and depend on factors such as whether you choose to write a supplemental exam.

Final or course composite grades will be calculated when all course requirements have been completed and marked.

We recommended that exams and assignments are completed and submitted 4 to 6 weeks before the deadline for final grades.

For more information visit How fast can I complete a course?

Transcript request options

Athabasca University sends transcripts via MyCreds, a secure document exchange platform from which students can share their transcripts with whomever they choose.

Requests for Athabasca University transcripts can be made online by logging into myAU and selecting the "Request Transcripts" option under Student Record in the left-hand navigation menu. This service empowers you to preview and print your unofficial transcript before making your request.

Additional transcript request information can be found by contacting the Information Centre.

Students are considered ‘inactive’ if they have not registered in an Athabasca University course:

• within 12 months of their last course contract end date or date of withdrawal
• within 12 months of the most recent admissions entry term
• or taken a course at another university on a Letter of Permission within 12 months of either of the above dates

To become reinstated as an active student:

1. Log in to myAU.
2. Click on “change program” in the Manage Your Program section and complete the form to reactivate your status as either a program or non-program student. No application fee is required. However, you may be required to pay the transfer credit evaluation fee if you have an evaluation completed.

If this is your first time logging in to myAU, your password will be your birthday (YYYYMMDD).

Please contact the Information Centre if you have lost your student ID.

If you need to contact a professor to get permission to register for a course, you can either:

• Look up the coordinator for your desired course and email your request.
• You can send your request for permission as part of the registration process if you are registering online.

Check the course syllabus or the Course Availability tool if you are unsure if you need permission to register for a course.

You may withdraw from a course at any time up until the end date of the course. However, you may not withdraw from a course if you have completed the final exam.

To withdraw from a course:

1. Log in to myAU and complete the withdrawal process for the course.

Withdrawing from individualized study

Withdrawing from a grouped study course

See Am I eligible for a refund? for more information about refunds.

Undergraduate course extensions are available for individualized study courses only. Students who are unable to complete their course during their course contract period may apply for an extension. Each course may be extended up to 3 times, and each extension is valid for 2 months.

How do I request an extension?

• Option 1: Log in to myAU, and choose “Apply for a Course Extension” under the “Manage your Courses” options. You will need to pay the relevant fee online.
• Option 2: Submit a Course Extension Request form and include the appropriate fee for each extension requested. Mail or fax your completed form to the Office of the Registrar.

All extension requests must be received by the Registrar’s Office a minimum of 1 month before your course contract ends. The extension starts on the first day of the month following your course contract end date. Students with course extensions must complete all course work by the end date of the extension period.

Get more information about course extensions in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Athabasca University’s grade appeals process is as follows:

1. Contact your tutor to discuss the mark. This must be done within 1 month of receiving the mark.
2. Either you or your tutor contacts the course professor to have the examination, assignment, or essay remarked. The student must make this request within 1 month of the original complaint.
3. If you are still dissatisfied with the result after remarking, submit a written appeal to the program director. This must be done within 1 month of the receipt of the second marking.

More information about the grade appeals process can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Athabasca University’s withdrawal policy is as follows:

Early withdrawal - within 30 days

• Students may withdraw before or within 30 days of their start date for a partial refund. You can receive a refund if the learning resources are:
• complete
• unmarked
• able to be issued to another student
• received by the University within 30 days of the processing of a refundable withdrawal request.

The registration will not appear on the transcript and will be deleted from the official record. Please refer to the Undergraduate Calendar for further details.

Withdrawal - after 30 days

Students who withdraw from a course more than 30 days from the start date will receive a “W” grade on their transcript, which means a student has withdrawn without credit and prejudice. No refund is issued, and course materials should not be returned.

If a student does not formally withdraw by the course end date and does not complete the course, the official record will reflect an “F” (Failure) grade. A grade of 0 will be assigned and calculated into the cumulative grade point average.

Get more information about course withdrawal in the Undergraduate Calendar.