How to Apply and Enroll
Follow the steps below to enroll as an auditor. If you have questions about any of the steps listed below, contact our Enrollment Services team at ceregistration@colorado.edu.
- Review the restricted courses. Auditors are not eligible to enroll in courses on this list or may need additional department approval as well as the instructor’s approval.
- Use the CU Boulder Class Search site to see open courses that are not closed or waitlisted.
- Narrow your search by changing the filters on that page, including Campus, Subject, and Instruction Mode, and update the semester, if needed.
Cost
Spring and Fall terms:
- Auditors under the age of 55 pay a flat rate of $250.00 per term.
- Auditors who are CU Boulder alumni aged 55 and older pay a flat rate of $80 per term, and for non-alumni auditors, a flat rate of $95 per term applies.
Summer Session:
- All auditors pay a flat rate of $250 in summer. The senior discount only applies to the fall and spring semesters.
You will be charged the flat rate after you’ve been enrolled in a course.
Current CU Boulder staff and faculty may audit courses and will pay the flat rate for their age group. This cost is not covered by the Tuition Assistance Benefit.
If you are a retired CU faculty, there is no fee for auditing. Please contact cerecords@colorado.edu to notify us after you submit your application.
There are no additional course fees, however, you may elect to buy books or the “Day 1 Digital Access” to online course materials. The access cost for these online course materials is charged by the University Bookstore to all students in the class except for auditors. If you would like to pay to receive these items, you may email the Bookstore for access. For information about this fee visit the University Bookstore’s Day 1 Digital Access resource or email digital@cubookstore.com.
Guidelines
Please review the auditors rules and guidelines to make your auditing experience as seamless and hassle-free as possible.
Please select the category you fit into for specific instructions for applying.
New Auditor (You have never audited at CU Boulder and have not previously filled out an auditing application):
Please submit the Auditor Application form. Submit this form online early, before the course enrollment period starts, to avoid processing delays. After your application form is processed, you will receive an email confirmation that includes your CU Boulder student ID number and further enrollment instructions.
Previous Auditor Applicant (You applied last term but never enrolled in a course):
Please email our records team, cerecords@colorado.edu. Please include your first and last name, and CU student ID in the email and we’ll reply with next steps. You do not need to submit a new application.
Returning Auditor (You enrolled in a course through the CE Auditor program last term):
As a former auditor, you have been automatically activated for the current term. You do not need to submit a new application and will receive enrollment instructions by email before the new semester begins.
Auditors must be formally included in the roster for the class(es) they will attend. You may either request permission from the instructor by email or print out the permission form to take to class. Please note, instructors may not respond to your communications. Their priority is to credit-seeking students.
Online Permission to Audit
- Locate the instructor’s name from your desired course on the CU Boulder Class Search. Their email might be hyperlinked under ‘Instructor Info.’ If not, copy their name. Then, go to colorado.edu. Click on the magnifying glass in the top right corner and paste/type the instructor’s name. Their email is on the right side under CU People Search. Send an email to the instructor introducing yourself and expressing your interest in auditing their course.
- If they reply with permission for you to audit, save the entire email thread, including the reply with the date, instructor email address and course name, as a PDF and upload it to the Auditor Instructor Permission Form, before submitting it online. You’ll need your student ID number to submit the form. The form will provide step by step instructions for completing it. Please fill in all required fields. If you’re missing information in the required fields, the form will not allow you to submit it.
In-person Permission to Audit (Printed Form)
- Open and print the Auditor Instructor Permission Form. Bring it with you to class to obtain written permission from the instructor to audit. Return the completed paper version of the form with instructor signature(s) in person to Continuing Education at 1505 University Avenue or by email to ceregistration@colorado.edu.
While you may attend an eligible course starting the first day of class, our staff starts processing enrollments the business day after the course’s session add deadline for credit-seeking students.
Summer 2024
The Continuing Education Enrollment Services team will begin auditor enrollment on the following dates:
- May 14: Maymester
- June 5: Boulder Session A and CE Session 1
- June 7: Boulder Session C and CE 8 week
- June 8: Boulder Session D and CE Full Session
- July 11: Boulder Session B and CE Session 2
- August 6: Augmester
Fall 2024
The Continuing Education Enrollment Services team will begin auditor enrollment on the following dates:
- September 5: Main Campus Full Term
- September 6: CE Online Credit Session 1
- September 11: CE Online Credit and CE Evening Credit Full Session
- October 5: CE Online Credit and CE Evening Credit 10 Week
- October 24: CE Online Credit Session 2
You can pay for your course after you receive your enrollment confirmation email. Bills become available in Buff Portal (CU Bill&Pay for authorized payers) by the second Thursday of each month after you are enrolled in a class. Payment is due on the 5th of the following month. Postmarks and post-dated checks are not honored. Dates may be subject to change without notice. Please note, you’ll be assessed a nonrefundable 2.85% service fee for credit card payments. There are four ways to make a payment:
- Pay online (preferred): You can access online payments via Buff Portal via the Tuition & Fees card. Click on Balance Summary, then View/Pay Bill, which will direct you to CU Bill&Pay, the university’s secure online billing and payment system.
- Pay by phone: Call the CE Accounting team at 303-492-2212 to make a credit card payment over the phone.
- Pay in person: At the Continuing Education building (1505 University Avenue) with a check. Please make all checks payable to University of Colorado Boulder.
- Pay by mail: You can mail a check to the following address; please include your 9-digit CU ID number on your check:
Continuing Education
Accounting Department
178 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0178
Checks can be made payable to the University of Colorado Boulder.
Please email ceregistration@colorado.edu if you encounter extenuating circumstances that result in you needing to drop all your courses for the current term. Auditors are not eligible for financial aid, scholarships, or payment plans.
Contact the CE Accounting team at 303-492-2212 or cebursar@colorado.edu if you have any questions regarding auditor fees and payments.