3.50 Course Audit

Purpose

Enrolled students, senior citizens, or other community members wishing to attend a course for purposes of academic self-enrichment and academic exploration, without earning academic credit, may request to audit a course.

Applicability

Courses offered at Riverland Community College are primarily intended for students registering for academic credit. The privilege of attending classes as an auditor is granted on a space-available basis on or after the first day of instruction. Audited courses do not:

  • Earn credit.
  • Apply toward any academic degree.
  • Apply as part of a student’s full-time or part-time course load for purposes of financial aid, loan deferments, athletic eligibility, or fulfillment of the enrollment residence requirement.

Eligibility

Individuals who desire to audit a course must meet one of the following conditions:

  1. Admitted to Riverland Community College and have successfully completed a college level course.
  2. Eligible as a senior citizen (Minnesota Statute 135A.52)
  3. Eligible for enrollment by demonstrating Accuplacer scores of 52 in reading and 35 in arithmetic.
  4. Eligible through demonstration (official transcript) of successful completion of other college coursework.
  5. Eligible with review of course audit request with the Student Success Center, Office of Disability Services to identify reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Riverland Community College is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment and education opportunity.

Students or community members auditing a course must pay the required tuition and fees. A senior citizen who is a legal resident of Minnesota is entitled, without payment of tuition or activity fees, to audit any courses offered for credit when space is available after all tuition-paying students have been enrolled. A course audit request form must be completed as the first step in seeking permission to audit a course.

Auditing requires the approval of the course instructor and the dean of the division offering the course and must be completed within the first five days of the semester. Approval may be subject to completion of course prerequisites. Auditors are required to discuss with the faculty member offering the course the work expectations consistent with that course’s learning environment, to determine the minimum coursework, if any, required for the audit designation on the transcript.

Degree-seeking students considering the audit option should discuss the option with their program adviser(s) to determine if it is the best choice, or if another grading option, such as credit/no credit, may be more appropriate.

The following requirements and conditions apply:

  • Not all courses may be audited. Each division/program may designate courses that do not accept auditors. Closed enrollment or customized training courses are not available for audit.
  • Courses involving internships, field placements, or clinical activities, or courses that include patient/client contact or exposure to hazards, are not eligible for audit.
  • The auditing arrangement may be cancelled if the course enrollment capacity is exceeded.
  • When enrollment limits are a concern, registered students will be given preference over auditors.
  • A student will not receive academic credit for an audited course nor be eligible to take a proficiency examination after completion.
  • The student's record will show a grade of "AU" for the course.
  • A student who is auditing a course but who wishes to take the course for credit must change their registration by the end of the five day add/drop period.
  • Any required course taken as audit must be retaken for credit in order to be counted toward a degree. If a student takes a course for both audit and credit, the transcript will show both entries.
  • There is no limit to the number of courses that may be audited. However, for currently enrolled students, audited courses may be counted toward the maximum number of semester hours allowed for the term.
  • Students who have been dismissed from Riverland for academic or disciplinary reasons or are otherwise ineligible to attend classes, are not eligible to audit classes.
  • An auditor is not considered a continuing student.

Definitions

Student: Any student admitted to the college for the purpose of program completion.

Community Member: Any individual enrolled in a course for purposes of self-enrichment and academic exploration, without earning academic credit.

Senior Citizen: A senior citizen is a legal resident of Minnesota who has reached 62 years of age before the beginning of any term in which a course of study is pursued, or a person receiving a railroad retirement annuity who has reached 60 years of age before the beginning of the term.

Does This Policy Have a Procedure?

Yes.

The course audit registration process cannot be initiated before the first day of classes.

Individuals seeking to audit a course must complete the Course Audit Request Form and secure the written approval of the course instructor and respective dean.

The Course Audit Request Form must be completed and returned to Registration prior to course registration.

Approved course audit students or community members must pay all associated tuition and fees to audit the course, prior to course attendance.

Related Policies, Procedures, or Forms

Minnesota Statute 135A.52

Minnesota State Board Policy 5.11

Minnesota State Board Procedure 5.11.1.3

Minnesota State Board Policy 3.3

Date Implemented: 5/9/2014

Responsible Division / Author: Academic Affairs / Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs

Date Revised: 9/22/16 branding language/logo; 6/2022 number and new template