Registrar's Office
and Student Services

Open Studies Student registration allows anyone interested in taking courses for general interest to register without having to gain admission to the University. Open Studies Student enrolment does not constitute formal admission to the University and all admitted University of Lethbridge students have a higher registration priority than Open Studies Students. Open Studies Students have access to classes only as space and quotas permit.

Open Studies Students may apply for formal admission or readmission at any time through one of the approved admission routes. At the point of admission, courses completed as an Open Studies Student will be included in the admission decision process.

Eligibility for Open Studies

To be eligible for registration as an Open Studies Student in a particular semester, the following conditions apply:

1. You are not currently admitted to the University of Lethbridge.
2. You must present the required Open Studies documents each time you register. You must complete the Open Studies Registration Form and submit it, along with the registration fee and deposit, to the Registrar’s Office and Student Services (ROSS).
3. If you have been Required to Withdraw from the University of Lethbridge or any other post-secondary institution within the last 12 months, registration as an Open Studies Student is not encouraged. Courses taken as an Open Studies Student after Required Withdrawal may not be used for credit toward programs to which you may ultimately be admitted without the express permission of the Faculties offering that program.
4. If your first language is not English, you must meet the University’s English Language Proficiency (ELP) Requirement (see page 44 of the 2013/2014 Calendar) and provide proof of this at registration. Registration privileges will be denied if you do not provide proof of English Language Proficiency (ELP). Unofficial documents are acceptable.

Additional Requirements for Some Courses

Course prerequisites must be met where applicable. You must present unofficial transcripts of your prior secondary and/or post-secondary work, if registration into a course with a prerequisite is to proceed. Enrolment in some courses may also require permission from the relevant Faculty or School.

Other Conditions

1. While under Open Studies Student status, you are allowed a maximum of two grades below C-. Any subsequent grade below C- results in permanent suspension of your registration privileges as an Open Studies Student. This suspension of privileges is recorded on your transcript.
2. At the outset of each term, the Registrar will determine registration eligibility for Open Studies Students. For these purposes, each of the Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and the aggregate of all Summer Sessions is considered to be one term.
3. As an Open Studies Student, you are not eligible to use the Credit/Non-Credit designation.
4. Open Studies Students are subject to the same Course Withdrawal policies as admitted students. Click here for complete information.
5. If your registration privileges as an Open Studies Student have been suspended, you may not re-register until you have attended another post-secondary institution and have been offered admission to a University of Lethbridge program.
6. If you were previously Required to Withdraw, you may present courses completed via the Open Studies Student route when reapplying for admission. Tabula Rasa may be granted to Open Studies Students who were Required to Withdraw from the University of Lethbridge. If granted, Tabula Rasa is applied only to the student’s your record prior to the point of Required Withdrawal .
7. Upon subsequent application for admission or readmission, courses completed via Open Studies Student registration may be counted toward your program, subject to the approval of the appropriate rules of the Faculty/School regarding residence and Required Withdrawal legislation.
8. Only students who have been admitted to a University of Lethbridge program may graduate with a University of Lethbridge degree, diploma, or certificate. However, if you have been previously admitted, and not subsequently required to withdraw, you may graduate while under Open Studies Student status. However, you must have been admitted to the program of graduation at some point. As well, you must have met the admission and graduation requirements of that program.

If you have been Required to Withdraw, you must be readmitted to the University and to the program of studies before you will be permitted to graduate. You must apply for admission according to regular application procedures and deadlines.

9. The University occasionally offers non-credit programs to selected groups of students, as do other agencies. Such students may not be eligible for registration via the Open Studies Student route. With the permission of the Registrar, students participating in approved non-credit programs may register concurrently in credit courses as Open Studies Students. Such registrations must be authorized in advance by the Registrar.
10. If you are denied registration privileges, you may appeal in writing to the Associate Registrar. Such appeals will be dealt with by the Associate Registrar and Registrar.

Additional Information

As an Open Studies Student, you can request official transcripts. You will also be able to view your final grades and print your working copy transcript from the Bridge.

Open Studies Students registered in three or more courses are considered to be attending full time and are subject to mandatory Students’ Union Health/Dental Plan regulations. The opt-out deadline for Fall 2013 is September 20, 2013.

Open Studies Student Registration: Getting Prepared

1. Print an Open Studies Registration Form (www.uleth.ca/ross/forms/open_studies.pdf), or pick up a form from the Registrar’s Office and Student Services (ROSS).
2. Bring the completed Registration Form , and any required documentation as outlined on the back of the form, to the Registrar’s Office and Student Services (ROSS). If you do not have a University of Lethbridge ID number, one will be assigned to you at this time.
3. Pay the $80 tuition deposit and $20 registration fee (both are non-refundable ) at the Registrar’s Office. The tuition deposit is applied towards your tuition fees.
4. Return the form to the Registrar’s Office and Student Services (ROSS) for processing and confirmation of your registration eligibility.
5. Register using the Bridge starting August 26, 2013 until the end of add/drop (September 10, 2013). Refer to “How to Register” for registration instructions.

Note that registration is made available only for the semester in which you are registering. These steps must be repeated for each semester you want to attend as an Open Studies Student.

In Case You Decide Not to Attend

If you decide not to attend the courses in which you are registered, it is vital you drop them via the Bridge prior to the end of add/drop (September 10, 2013) to avoid being charged full tuition and fees. If you cancel your registration, you will forfeit the non-refundable tuition deposit and the non-refundable Open Studies registration fee.

If you decide not to attend after the add/drop period, you must withdraw from your courses through the Registrar’s Office and Student Services (ROSS) by submitting a Complete Withdrawal Form , or by sending a letter with your signature. If you send a letter, fees will be assessed according to the date the letter is received in the Registrar’s Office and Student Services (ROSS). Refer to the Fee Assessment Policy as stated in the University of Lethbridge Calendar (p. 62), the “Fees - Fall 2013” section, and on the back of the Registration Form . Personal telephone calls will NOT be accepted, under any circumstances, as a form of withdrawal.

Frequently Asked Questions About Open Studies

If I am an Open Studies Student, have I been admitted to the University of Lethbridge?

No. You have not been admitted to any University of Lethbridge program. You have been granted permission to register in regular courses for a particular semester, space permitting.

Will courses I complete as an Open Studies Student help me to get admitted to the University of Lethbridge?

Yes, if you achieve satisfactory grades. One of the admission routes into University of Lethbridge programs considers all transferable courses completed at post-secondary institutions. Your courses completed as an Open Studies Student will count in the same way these courses do, with respect to your admission qualifications.

Do courses I complete as an Open Studies Student count when I get admitted to a program?

Courses you complete as an Open Studies Student may count toward program requirements subject to the regulations of the appropriate Faculty/School. Contact an academic advisor for detailed information.

How many courses do I have to complete to be admitted?

For admission purposes, if you have completed three or more transferable semester courses, you are considered a New Transfer applicant. Once you have completed eight or more transferable courses, your high school record is not used to make the admission decision. For admission purposes only, transferable courses at other universities and colleges and courses completed as an Open Studies Student are ‘grouped together.’ See the chart below.

• Admission to certain programs (e.g., Bachelor of Nursing, Pre-Engineering) requires specific high school courses.