Academic Advising Through Continuing Education

Our academic advisors can help you plan your course of study and schedule. We are here to assist:

• Current main campus students looking for ways to earn credit and stay on schedule to graduate,
• Returning students interested in completing their degrees,
• New students focused on earning college credits without interrupting work and family schedules.

Schedule an appointment with our Academic Advisors. You can also call us at 303-492-5148 or email us at ceadvise@colorado.edu.

No matter the situation, we are committed to helping you explore your educational goals.

Online Composition Hub

The Online Composition Hub is a free tutoring service for writing open to students enrolled in Continuing Education Evening and Online Credit courses. The online platform uses tools to help students access experienced, peer tutors who provide guidance and review student work.

Tutors specialize in helping students with traditional papers, but they can also assist with web design, video, blogging, Prezi, PowerPoint, and other projects. Professional materials, such as resumes, cover letters, applications, and research projects are also acceptable.

Tutors and students share assignments via Google Docs. Students have the option of communicating with tutors synchronously—online at the same time as a tutor and talking via chat, Skype, or Google Hangout—or asynchronously—tutors provide feedback within 24 hours of the appointment time.

Financial Aid Advising

Students enrolled in university credit courses through Continuing Education may be eligible for financial assistance. Continuing Education has a financial aid advisor to assist you in exploring all the options available to you, whether you are a degree or nondegree student.

Detailed information about how to receive federal financial aid is available on the CU Boulder Financial Aid website.

Email questions to our Financial Aid Advisor at cefinaid@colorado.edu.

Eligibility to Enroll in Credit Courses

Nondegree Application Requirements

You need a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma to enroll in credit courses. If you are under 23 years of age as of Sept. 15 for fall or Jan. 15 for spring, and not officially admitted or enrolled in a CU Boulder degree program, you must submit unofficial copies of either your high school equivalency scores or your high school transcript for review. High school transcripts must include the degree conferral date and must show that you completed your high school degree with at least a 2.0 GPA. Please upload your unofficial documents with your online application. For questions, please email ceregistration@colorado.edu.

Course Restrictions and Prerequisites

Some courses at CU—including mathematics, engineering, language and all graduate-level courses—may be restricted. Proof of completed prerequisites or departmental permission may be required to enroll. If you believe you meet the prerequisite from an outside university or have additional questions about prerequisite approvals, please connect with a CE advisor by scheduling an appointment or emailing ceadvise@colorado.edu.

Holds and Academic Status

A hold on your account (financial, academic, student conduct, etc.) may prevent you from being eligible to enroll. Students should contact a Continuing Education academic advisor with questions about academic probation/suspension/dismissal from the Boulder campus. More about probation and suspension.

Enrollment for Current Students

If you are a current student and you have enrolled in a CU Boulder course within the past 12 months, you are automatically enabled to enroll for Continuing Education courses through Buff Portal, the CU Boulder student portal.

If less than 12 months have passed since you last enrolled as a nondegree student at CU Boulder, you may need to term-activate yourself before you can enroll in classes. To do so:

1. Log in to Buff Portal.
2. On the term activation card, click “Term-activate yourself.”
3. Complete your preregistration items (if necessary).
4. On the enrollment dates page, open the main menu and click “Term Information.”
5. Click “Activate new term for enrollment.”
6. Find your nondegree program, tick the checkbox to select that row, then click “Continue.”
7. Select the correct term from the drop-down, then click “Continue.”

If more than 12 months have passed since you were last enrolled as a nondegree student, you must submit an enrollment application through the Division of Continuing Education.

Enrollment for New Nondegree Students

If you are new to CU as a nondegree student, complete and submit the Enrollment Application for Continuing Education.

• Spring 2023 Enrollment Application
• Summer 2023 Enrollment Application
• Fall 2023 Enrollment Application

Note: if you already have a bachelor’s degree and intend to take undergraduate courses, you must choose “Undergraduate” as your status on the application. Otherwise you will be charged the graduate tuition rate and will not be eligible to use the College Opportunity Fund.

If approved, you will receive a student identification number to activate your Identikey and search/enroll in courses via Buff Portal.

Enrollment for Former CU Students

Former Degree Students

If more than 12 months has passed since you enrolled in a CU Boulder course but you were previously admitted to a degree program at CU, you should fill out and submit our CE Readmission form. You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application.

If you graduated from CU Boulder and wish to enroll in university courses as a nondegree student, you will be considered a new student. Visit the Enrollment for New Nondegree Students page for information on how to get started.

Former Nondegree Students

If less than 12 months has passed since you last enrolled as a nondegree student at CU Boulder, you must term activate yourself before you may enroll in classes. In order to self-term activate:

1. Log in to Buff Portal.
2. Open the term activation card, click “Term-activate yourself.”
3. Complete your preregistration items (if necessary).
4. On the enrollment dates page, open the main menu and click “Term Information.”
5. Click “Activate new term for enrollment.”
6. Find your nondegree program, tick the checkbox to select that row, then click “Continue.”
7. Select the correct term from the drop-down, then click “Continue.”

You are now term-activated. You will need to term-activate every semester as long as you are a nondegree student.

If more than 12 months has passed since you were enrolled as a nondegree student at CU Boulder, please complete and submit the Enrollment Application.

• Spring 2023 Enrollment Application
• Summer 2023 Enrollment Application
• Fall 2023 Enrollment Application

If approved, you will receive a student identification number to activate your Identikey and search/enroll in courses via the CU Boulder Class Search.

Spring-Fall 2023 Enrollment for CE Online Flexible Courses

Students may enroll in spring 2023 CE Online Flexible courses starting on December 19, 2022.

Students may enroll in summer 2023 CE Online Flexible courses starting on May 15, 2023.

Students may enroll in fall 2023 CE Online Flexible courses starting on August 28, 2023.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Enrollment Services at ceregistration@colorado.edu or 303-492-5148.

Enrollment Restrictions for CE Online Flexible Courses

Students are only allowed to be enrolled in two CE Online Flexible courses at a time. After completing one or both of your courses, you may register for more, as long as you are active in only two courses at a time. It is your responsibility to see that you are not enrolled in more than the permitted number of courses.

Buff Portal and IdentiKey

Buff Portal is the online campus portal and an important tool. It gives you access to credit course enrollment, your CU student email account, campus announcements, semester schedule, tuition bill, book lists, clicker registration, Canvas, and your final grades. Learn more about Buff Portal.

You’ll need an Identikey, or a unique username, to log in to and access Buff Portal. An Identikey allows you to register for CU courses and provides you with access to online services and campus computing facilities. Use your student identification number to activate your IdentiKey at identikey.colorado.edu.

If you have questions, contact us at ceregistration@colorado.edu or 303-492-5148.

Consenting to Do Business Electronically

When you log in to Buff Portal for the first time, you’ll be asked to consent to conduct business electronically at CU. If you don’t consent, you’ll lose access to the portal and instead receive information about how to conduct your official university business offline.

If you have questions, contact us at ceregistration@colorado.edu or 303-492-5148.

CE Online Term-Based Academic Calendar

All times are in Mountain Time.

* Students may be eligible for a possible tuition adjustment or refund.
**Drop by 11:59 p.m. online using Buff Portal.
***Withdraw by 11:59 p.m. online using Buff Portal, submitting an online withdrawal form, or by email to ceregistration@colorado.edu. A grade of W will appear on your transcript.
†Withdraw by 11:59 p.m. by submitting an online withdrawal form or send an email to ceregistration@colorado.edu. A grade of W will appear on your transcript.

^ Petitioning is designed to provide students who experience unavoidable, extenuating circumstances the opportunity to waive a University policy that, if enforced, would result in unsatisfactory academic progress or financial consequences.
Nondegree students must petition the dean of Continuing Education and must have an instructor signature. Degree students must petition the dean of the college in which they are enrolled, and must have an instructor signature. The College of Arts & Sciences does not allow late-drop petitions during the summer.

Continuing Education Important Dates

Add, Drop, and Withdrawal Info

Enrolled students must add or drop courses by the dates and deadlines listed in their program’s academic calendar. You may add, drop, or withdraw via Buff Portal or Class Search using the instructions outlined under Review Your Registration Actions. You may also submit an online withdrawal form or send an email to ceregistration@colorado.edu.

If you fail to drop by the deadline you may receive a grade of F and you may be liable for any tuition and fees. You may withdraw from a credit course after the published drop deadline. Withdrawals will result in a W on your academic record.

Spring-Fall 2023 Enrollment for CE Online Flexible Courses

Students may enroll in spring 2023 CE Online Flexible courses starting on December 19, 2022.

Students may enroll in summer 2023 CE Online Flexible courses starting on May 15, 2023.

Students may enroll in fall 2023 CE Online Flexible courses starting on August 28, 2023.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Enrollment Services at ceregistration@colorado.edu or 303-492-5148.

CE Online Flexible Courses Time Limits and Deadlines

You must complete a CE Online Flexible course within 6 months of your enrollment date. You will not be notified when your CE Online Flexible course is about to expire, and it is your responsibility to keep track of your course expiration date.

If you need a grade posted to your transcript by graduation or another specific date, you must give your instructor sufficient time to grade your work. Plan to have all written assignments submitted and the final examination completed at least 5 weeks before you need the credit on a transcript. Please remember that your instructor is working with many other students. Typically only 1 unit of work may be submitted during a 1-week period. The instructor must approve work being completed at an accelerated pace and usually will not be able to accommodate requests to accelerate the grading process.

Deadlines to Change Status in CE Online Flexible Courses

Students in CE Online Flexible courses have 40 days from registration to take any of the following actions:

• Change the grading basis from a letter grade to pass/fail
• Drop a CE Online Flexible course in Buff Portal and receive a full tuition refund without any mark on your transcript. If the 40 days falls between two terms you won’t be able to drop yourself. Please email cerecords@colorado.edu for help.

Beginning Spring 2022, grade replacement is applied automatically at the end of each term for eligible courses and students. Learn more about grade replacement.

Dropping a CE Online Flexible Course

After 40 days of enrollment in your CE Online Flexible course, students can take the following actions:

• You may submit a withdrawal request via email to our Records Department at: cerecords@colorado.edu.
• If you do not complete your course within the 6-month time limit, you must formally withdraw before a final grade is posted to receive a W on your transcript. If you do not withdraw before a final grade is posted, you will receive an F.

Extensions for CE Online Flexible Courses

If you have at least 50% of the coursework submitted by your completion deadline and documentation of extenuating circumstances, you may file a petition for a two-month extension. The Petition Committee uses the same standards as the main campus and will contact the course instructor for approval prior to granting or denying your petition.

Contact cewww@colorado.edu for more information or to get your questions answered.

If you are a Continuing Education student with a dismissal hold you wish to petition, please schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.

CE Online Credit Tuition Rates

CE Online Credit tuition is assessed at a per-credit hour rate in addition to any tuition paid on campus. A single rate is charged regardless of a student’s in-state or out-of-state classification. The below rates reflect tuition for Continuing Education online classes. For main campus tuition rates, visit the Bursar’s website.

*These rates do not apply to the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program. Please see MSOL Program Tuition Rates & Fees for more information.

The Board of Regents reserves the right to change the tuition and fee rates at any time.

Tuition Policy

You will be billed for your Continuing Education registration. Bills are available through Buff Portal. A 1% service charge is added to an unpaid balance after the tuition due date, and a financial stop is placed on your student record. All tuition and refund determinations are subject to audit.

Current CU Boulder Students:

• CE Evening, CE Online, Applied Music, and Individualized Instruction tuition is charged in addition to Boulder main campus when enrolled in both programs concurrently.
• The College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend cannot be applied.
• During the summer semester students are charged tuition for Summer Session courses separately from Continuing Education courses.

Nondegree students:

• CE Evening, CE Online, and Applied Music tuition is charged in addition to ACCESS rates when enrolled in both programs concurrently.

CE Evening Credit and CE Online Credit Student Fees

Denver-metro area nondegree students enrolled in CE Evening Credit or CE Online Credit courses may elect to purchase an optional student fee packages to obtain additional resources. Main campus degree-seeking students enrolled in a combination of main campus and CE Evening Credit / CE Online Credit courses do not need to opt in or pay additional fees. However, main campus degree-seeking students exclusively enrolled in CE Evening Credit and CE Online Credit courses will be charged the student fees package if enrolled in 6 or more credits.

Complete the student fee package request form. Please see the rates below for the current cost of the student fee package before submitting your request. You can call 303-492-2212 with questions or for more information.

Students with unpaid fees will incur a 1% monthly finance charge of the total remaining fee balance. In addition, students must also purchase a BuffOne ID card. BuffOne cards can be purchased for $30 in room N180 of the Center for Community (C4C), just east of Regent Hall. Visit www.buffonecard.com for more information.

Fees for Spring 2023

Spring 2023 cost is $500.94 and includes the Student Activity Fee, Bikes Program Fee, Transit Fee, and access to the Student Recreation Center. Students can elect to pay an additional $174.49 to add the Student Health Fee and Mental Health Resource Fee.

Fees for Summer 2023

Summer 2023 cost is $351.04 and includes the Student Activity Fee, Bikes Program Fee, Transit Fee, and access to the Student Recreation Center. Students can elect to pay an additional $109.06 to add the Student Health Fee and Mental Health Resource Fee.

Discounts

CU Employee Discounts

Continuing Education offers the following discounts to University of Colorado staff.

Class Discounts

Current and retired staff from any of the CU campuses, including the CU System, are eligible for tuition discounts for classes offered through the following programs:

• The International English Center offers a 25% discount.
• The CE Evening Credit program offers a 50% discount.
• Applied Music and CE Online Credit programs offer a 20% discount on all courses with the exception of term-based WRTG courses and courses within the MSOL Program.

University of Colorado faculty, staff, professional researchers must be employed at least half-time and are required to provide a printed copy of their “job list” from Peoplesoft or some equivalent form of documentation when requesting a discount.

Degree Discount

The Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program offers a 40% tuition discount to permanent, full-time staff of CU Boulder. Contact us for more information.

Alumni Discounts

Alumni Association members receive a 10% discount off in-state tuition for one Continuing Education course (excluding the MSOL Program). For more information call 303-492-5148.

Offered in partnership with the University of Colorado’s Alumni Association. Members of the HERD and “New Graduate Members” are not eligible for this discount.

Other Discounts

The International English Center offers a 25% discount for the spouses and children of CU faculty, CU staff, and current degree-seeking students.

Science Discovery offers a 10% discount to the children of CU faculty, staff, and students.

Financial Aid Advising

Students enrolled in university credit courses through Continuing Education may be eligible for financial assistance. Continuing Education has a financial aid advisor to assist you in exploring all the options available to you, whether you are a degree or nondegree student.

Detailed information about how to receive federal financial aid is available on the CU Boulder Financial Aid website.

Email questions to our Financial Aid Advisor at cefinaid@colorado.edu.

Financial Aid for CE Online Flexible Courses

Students may receive financial aid for CE Online Flexible courses, with the following restrictions:

• For a CE Online Credit course to count toward a student’s enrollment status for a semester, the course must be added prior to the add/drop deadline of that semester, based on main campus census dates.
• Students who receive aid for a CE Online Flexible course and drop the course after the census date will receive a “Withdrawn” for that course, even if it is within the 40 days we allow for a drop.
• Students who do not complete the course within six months and choose to extend will have a double impact to their financial aid eligibility. Both the “Withdrawn” designation and the “Incomplete” designation count against a student’s completion rate.

For more information, visit the CU Boulder Financial Aid website.

Nondegree Student Scholarships

Continuing Education offers scholarships for nondegree students.

Application and Award Process

• Submit the appropriate application along with a minimum-250 word essay addressing your past educational history, your future goals, and the way in which the scholarship will assist you in meeting those goals.
• The award amount is based on available funding and a competitive essay review.
• Awardees will be notified via the email given on the application.

If you have any questions or are unable to log into the appropriate application form, please contact us at ceadvise@colorado.edu.

Nontraditional Student Fall & Spring Scholarships

Eligibility

• Nondegree student at CU Boulder (not formally admitted to a degree program)
• Must be enrolled in courses for credit offered through main campus, CE Evening Credit, CE Online Credit, and Applied Music
• Must be 22 years or older

Scholarship Details

• The maximum award for the scholarship is $1,000, not to exceed 80% of the resident tuition rate of a three-credit course.
• Students may be awarded a Continuing Education scholarship only once during their time as a nondegree student.
• Scholarships offered through CE are classified as general fund (i.e. compatible with VA benefits).

The spring 2023 application deadline is January 31, 2023.

The fall 2023 application deadline is September 8, 2023.

Apply now

Nontraditional Student Summer Scholarship

Eligibility

• Must be a nondegree student (not formally admitted to a CU Boulder degree program)
• Must be enrolled in courses for credit offered through CE Online Credit
• Must be 22 years old or older

Scholarship Details

• The maximum award for the scholarship is 80% of the tuition rate of a three-credit course, with a maximum of $1,000.
• Students may be awarded Continuing Education scholarship only once during their time as a nondegree student.

The summer 2023 application deadline is May 29, 2023.

Apply Now