Open Studies students

Apply to Open Studies

What is an Open Studies student?

An Open Studies student is someone who is eligible to take university credit courses at the University of Calgary, without being admitted into a degree program.

Degree holders and non-degree holders

Who aren’t enrolled in a program leading to a degree, diploma or certificate but wish to take University of Calgary courses.

Open Studies Next Steps Guide

University Entrance Programs

Are designed to support students in gaining admission to an undergraduate degree program.

University Entrance Programs Next Steps Guide

Visiting students and visiting research students

Students who are enrolled at other universities who complete academic work at the University of Calgary.

Current high school students

Who are participating in dual-credit programs or Young Scientist programs through their participating high school.

As an Open Studies student, your home faculty is the Registrar’s Office, and Enrolment Services is the main point of contact for any questions regarding Open Studies Academic Regulations. Important regulations to note:

Open Studies students can take a maximum of 36 units overall
Open Studies students who don’t hold a degree can take up to 12 units per term for the fall and winter terms, and up to 6 units per term for the spring and summer terms
Open Studies degree-holding students can take up to 18 units per term for the fall and winter terms, and 9 up to units per term for the spring and summer terms

Open Studies Orientation guides students to key resources, policies, and support for academic success. Learn about Open Studies Orientation (pdf)

Open Enrolment – When can you begin registering for courses?

Find out when you can register by checking your Open Enrolment Date for Open Studies. Your open enrolment date/enrolment start time will be the exact date and time when you can begin enrolling into courses.

We encourage you to register as early as your enrolment start time allows, but you can register for courses up until the last day you’re allowed to add courses for the term. You can check this and other important dates in the Academic Calendar.

Check your Open Enrolment Date View the Academic Calendar

Registration essentials

Many undergraduate courses have pre-requisites that must be met before you can register for the course. As an Open Studies student, you’ll often need to receive permission to register for classes that have pre-requisites.

Important note about prerequisites

Many undergraduate courses have prerequisites that must be met before you can register for the course.

As an Open Studies student, you may need permission to register for classes that have prerequisites. Here’s how:

If you submitted your high school transcripts with your application, you should be able to register in courses with high school course prerequisites (meaning, you won’t need permission from the department or faculty offering the course).
If you didn’t submit your high school transcript with your application, email your transcripts and your UCID number to the Admissions Office (transcripts@ucalgary.ca) and request your high school courses be posted to your Open Studies file. You should then be able to register without needing permission.
If you completed post-secondary courses at another institution, you may be able to use those courses to satisfy a post-secondary prerequisite or in lieu of high school courses.

Once you have permission to register in a course with prerequisites, you’ll be able to register through your Student Centre (my.ucalgary.ca). If you run into issues enrolling in the course, contact Enrolment Services for assistance.

More details on pre-requisites can be found on the Important Terminology Page.

How to register in a graduate course

If you want to register into a graduate-level course, here are the steps you’ll need to take:

After you’ve been admitted, the Service Requests page becomes available on your Student Centre (my.ucalgary.ca).
Under the Enrolment Services Request Category, and the my registration category, read the instructions and fill out the Request Cross Career Exception form.
As per the instructions, to register you’ll need to get approval from the department that offers the course you want to take.

Need assistance filling out the Service Request? Connect with Enrolment Services

Did you know?

Open Studies students with a degree can take up to six three-unit courses per term and non-degree holders can take up to four three-unit courses per term to a maximum of twelve three-unit courses.

If you are interested in transferring to a degree program, we recommend you speak an advisor in the Student Success Centre (SSC). The SSC offers academic support and exploratory advising for all Open Studies students

Connect with the SSC