Auditors | Apply & Enroll

• 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:

• Auditing rates will be the same in Summer 2025 as they are in Fall/Spring. We are testing a senior rate this summer as part of a pilot program.

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 purchase digital course materials through the ‘Select Access Plan’. The access cost for these online course materials is charged by the University Bookstore to all students in the class except for auditors. Select Access Course Materials are instantly accessible on the first day of class in Canvas. If you would like to pay to receive these items, you may email the Bookstore for access at assist@cubookstore.com. The charge (“CU Book Access Select”) will be added to your university bill.

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):

Submit the Auditors Application 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.

Continuing Auditor Applicant (You enrolled in a course through the CE Auditor program last term):

• If you are a continuing auditor and were enrolled in a CU Boulder course, you have been automatically activated for the upcoming  term. You do not need to submit a new application and will receive enrollment instructions by email before the new semester begins.
• If you didn’t enroll in the term that you applied for, your account was discontinued at the end of the term. You must submit a new auditor application through the Division of Continuing Education.
• If more than 12 months have passed since you were last enrolled in a course as an auditor, you must submit a new application.

Former Auditor (You previously applied but never enrolled in a course or you haven’t enrolled for three or more terms):

• If you didn’t get enrolled in a course in the term that you applied for, your account was discontinued at the end of that term. You must submit a new auditor application through the Division of Continuing Education.
• If more than 12 months have passed since you were enrolled in a course as an auditor at CU Boulder, you must submit a new application.

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 (see link below) to take to class. Instructors may not respond to your communications. Their priority is to credit-seeking students. Please note: Submitting the Auditor Instructor Permission Form does not guarantee enrollment. The courses must have an open seat when our staff reviews the request. For this reason, auditors shouldn’t purchase books for the class until they’re officially registered in the course.

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 and run a web search including the instructor's name along with "CU Boulder" to find their email address. Once you find their email address, 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 auditorprogram@colorado.edu.

Auditors do not self-enroll and are instead enrolled by our staff. We process auditor requests on a first come, first serve basis due to this we encourage you to submit your requests early. 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. Please note: Auditors will only be enrolled in open courses, not those closed, waitlisted, or restricted, regardless of instructor permission.

Spring 2025

The Continuing Education Enrollment Services team will begin auditor enrollment on the following dates:

• January 23: Main Campus Full Term
• January 24: CE Online Credit Session 1
• January 29: CE Online Credit and CE Evening Credit Full Session
• February 24: CE Online Credit and CE Evening Credit 10 Week
• March 13: CE Online Credit Session 2

Summer 2025

The Continuing Education Enrollment Services team will begin auditor enrollment on the following dates:

• June 4: Boulder Session A and CE Session 1
• June 6: Boulder Session C and CE 8-Week Session
• June 9: Boulder Session D and CE Full Session
• July 10: Boulder Session B and CE Session 2

Fall 2025

The Continuing Education Enrollment Services team will begin auditor enrollment on the following dates:

• September 2: Main Campus Full Term
• September 5: CE Online Credit Session 1
• September 10: CE Online Credit and CE Evening Credit 13-Week Session
• September 29: CE Online Credit and CE Evening Credit 10-Week Session
• October 23: 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:

1. 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.
2. Pay by phone: Call the CE Accounting team at 303-492-2212 to make a credit card payment over the phone.
3. Pay in person: At the Continuing Education building (1505 University Avenue) with a check. Please make all checks payable to University of Colorado Boulder.
4. 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 auditorprogram@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.