Auditing a Course

AUDITING A COURSE:  INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

Honors Audits
The Cost to Audit a Course
Audits and Graduation

Students may audit a course at the same tuition charge as a course for credit.  To audit a course, students must come to the Office of Academic Records to obtain a blank Add/Drop form, which is available at the front registration counter.  Students must get the permission and signature of the teacher of the course and the signature of their advisor to add an audited course.

What does it mean to audit a course?
Andrews University students may audit, or take a course with the benefit of a grade or college credit for the course.  Students are not registered for audits in the same way that they are for credit, but for the purpose of scheduling to avoid time conflicts and for attendance. 

Is there any work or special requirements when a student audits a course?
Auditors must attend at least 80% of the class periods.  This is referred to as the audit agreement.

Can I audit a course I am taking for credit instead?
A student may change the registration for a course they are currently registered for from “credit” to “audit” registration and vice versa within the published time limits.

What do I have to do to change my credit registration to audit registration? Or from audit to credit?
To make these changes the student must come to the Office of Academic Records to obtain a blank Change of Registration (Add/Drop) form.  They must turn in the correctly filled out form to the Registration Counter with signatures from the instructor of the course and their academic advisor.   Students should register for an audited course within the same deadlines as regular course registration. 

Why would I audit a course if I am not going to receive credit?
Students may choose to audit a course for personal enrichment or academic exploration, or to encourage growth within their academic/career goals.

Can I audit any class?
It is possible to audit any class EXCEPT private music lessons and independent study courses provided the following are confirmed:

  • ·         There is room in the class.
  • ·         The student has an appropriate background.
  • ·         The instructor gives permission to attend.

If you are interested in taking music lessons please contact the Department of Music for more information.

How does this affect my transcripts?  AU—Audited Classes (including HN, UA and UH)
There are four different grades for audits that are possible for a student auditing a course.  The term audit refers to registration for attendance only. 

  • AU:  A grade of AU is given for an audited course if the student has met the obligations of the audit agreement. 
  • UA: Unsatisfactory Audit:  Students who have not fulfilled the requirements of the audit agreement.
  • HN:  Honors auditors are given a transcript grade of HN in the event they have fulfilled the obligations of the audit agreement.
  • UH:  Honors auditors who do not fulfill the attendance requirements are given a UH for Unsatisfactory Honors Audit on their transcript.

 

All auditors, including honors auditors, are expected to attend all class appointments as agreed upon when the instructor granted auditing privileges.

Do I have to "pass" an audited class the same way that a student passes a regular credit course?
Students who audit a course are not required in any way to fulfill any of the course requirements except for attending 80% of the class periods. Those who fail to do so are given a grade of UA (Unsatisfactory Audit); honors auditors a UH.

Can I audit a course for free?
The tuition charge for an audited course is the same as a course taken for credit.  Full-time honors students may audit one course per semester for free:  please visit the Honors Program Benefits page for more information. 

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Honors Auditors

If you are an Honors student and you would like to audit a course, please submit a Change in Registration form (Add/Drop) with the signature of the instructor of the course and your advisor along with the Honors Audit form from the Honors office with the signature of the Director of the Honors Program.

If I am an Honors student and I’m taking an overload, can I still audit a course for free?
Yes, though only one course per semester.

I'm a graduate student.  Can I audit a course?
Yes.  Graduate students may audit a course and will receive the same range of designations with the exception of honors audits.  PLEASE NOTE:  Graduate students may NOT use an audited course for credit.

If I’m a graduate student can I audit a course for free?
No.  Graduate students are charged the same amount as for a course taken for credit.

I am a transfer student.  I audited a course at my previous college and now this class is required for my degree at Andrews.  What do I have to do to get the class to count for credit?
This is impossible.  You CANNOT have an audit count for credit because the course requirements have not been fulfilled in any way—the only thing fulfilled within an audit is the attendance agreement.

I’m currently auditing a course but I did not realize I have to take it for credit.  What do I need to do to take it for credit?
If a student is currently auditing a course which they now want to take for credit, they must come to the Registration Counter and obtain a blank Add/Drop form.  Students must obtain the same signatures (professor of the course, advisor) to change their registration from audit to credit.  PLEASE NOTE: Students have until the 9th day of classes to change from audit to credit. This is NOT the same deadline as changing from credit to audit.

Do audited courses have to be manually registered?
Yes.  Students cannot register for an audit online but must submit an Add/Drop form with the signature of their advisor along with the signature of the professor of the course.

Do audited courses count toward my degree?
Not at all!!
  Audited courses are intended to provide students an opportunity to continue learning without having to fulfill work requirements (only attendance). 

Can I reserve a course which I want to audit?
No.  Audited courses must be manually registered because you must have the signature of the professor of the course and the signature of your advisor.

What do I do if I want to audit a course but I am not in town? (In terms of needing to get signatures)
You will not be able to register for the course until you are able to gain the signatures of the professor of the course and your advisor on the Add/Drop form.

If I started taking a course for credit, can I change it to audit during the semester?
Yes.  Students may change a course from credit to audit up until the 9th day before the last day of classes.

If I change a course registration from credit to audit in the middle of the semester, can I receive partial credit?
No.  Your registration for the entire semester will be an audit registration only and only your attendance will be counted.

If I apply for graduation and then later on I change a course from credit to audit, and my degree total changes below the required amount, can I still graduate?
If you change the registration for a course from credit to audit, and you needed that course to graduate, then your graduation will be cancelled.   Students are responsible for being aware of which classes they need to take to fulfill their degree requirements.

I changed a course from credit to audit and now I’m being told I can’t graduate.  Why?!
If you change the registration of a course which is required for your degree plan from credit to audit, then you are no longer fulfilling your requirements and will not be able to graduate.  Students please note:  You cannot audit a course which is required for your degree plan at any time.  All classes which are intended to fulfill your degree must be taken for credit.

What should I do if I applied for graduation but I want to change a course from credit to audit and take it again for credit next semester?
Students may change a course’s registration from credit to audit up until the 9th day before the end of the semester.  If you have decided that you will change the course from credit to audit, and this delays your ability to fulfill degree requirements, you must come to the appropriate Records office (Undergraduate or Graduate) and submit a Graduation Application Revision Form.

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