Continuing Studies

About the Program

Continuing Studies is a non-degree granting unit that admits adult students who want to take courses on a part-time basis for personal enrichment or professional development. Students can earn college credit, but are not admitted into a degree program.

Continuing Studies students may enroll for a maximum of 8 hours in any semester or summer session. Students are required to maintain a 2.0 grade point average.  Continuing Studies students are not eligible to receive state or federal financial aid. 

Students may remain in Continuing Studies until they accumulate 24 credit hours. Students with 24 credit hours must apply for admission and be accepted by a degree-granting unit of the university if they wish to continue their course work.

Admissions Policies
In order to be admitted to Continuing Studies, applicants must complete an Application for Undergraduate Admission and submit an application fee. Transcripts and ACT scores are not required. However, post-baccalaureate students who wish to take prerequisite courses for a graduate-level program will need to submit a transcript to verify their status.

Continuing Studies students must meet the following criteria unless they petition the Continuing Studies Office for exception:

• Applicants must be at least 22 years old, unless the applicant will be on active military duty.
• Applicants must self-report that they have a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate issued by the State Department of Education.
• Applicants with previous college work must self-report that they have not been dismissed from their last attended institution of higher education.
• Applicants for whom English is a second language must offer proof of English proficiency.

Placement Tests
Continuing Studies students may take placement tests to determine the correct level of coursework. Placement tests are available in Math and Foreign Language. CLEP (College Level Examination Program) exams may be used to gain course credit.

The placement tests and CLEP exams are scheduled through:

The Testing Center
310 Davidson Hall
(502) 852-6606

Students with learning or other disabilities that may interfere with placement test accuracy should contact the Disability Resource Center (502) 852-6938.

Transfer Credits
Transfer credits are formally evaluated only when students are accepted into a degree-granting unit.

Enrollment
Students must be admitted to UofL and registered for classes by the end of the first day of classes. Continuing Studies students may enroll for a maximum of 8 hours in any semester or summer session. Students must have a grade point average of 2.0 or better to remain in good standing. Students may enroll in undergraduate classes for which they have completed the prerequisites or by faculty permission.

Students with 24 credit hours must apply for admission and be accepted by a degree-granting unit if they wish to continue their course work. Units will determine which of a student’s previously earned credits will apply to a particular degree or major.

Students who wish to audit courses can register for classes before the deadline and then have the audit form signed by the professor and taken directly to the Registrar’s office to change the class from graded to audit.

Post-Baccalaureate students who wish to take a graduate class must get approval from the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies; interested individuals should call (502) 852-6495 for details.

University Grade Point Average
The University of Louisville calculates a University Grade Point Average, which becomes the standard measure of performance and the official university calculation upon which academic decisions are made. The University Grade Point Average is determined at the undergraduate level, and is based upon all undergraduate course work taken at the University of Louisville.

Courses numbered below the 100 level (000-099) will not be used in the earned hours or University Grade Point Average calculation.¹

Continuing Studies students must follow the instructional unit’s policies concerning adding or withdrawing from classes, pass/fail grading, incompletes, and audits.

Academic bankruptcy is not available to Continuing Studies students.

Academic Standing
Students in good standing must maintain a 2.0 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) in all coursework taken while enrolled in Continuing Studies.

Failure to attain a 2.0 GPA after the first semester results in Academic Warning and a restriction to an enrollment of 6 semester hours. Failure to attain a 2.0 GPA after two semesters results in Academic Probation and a restriction to an enrollment of 3 semester hours. Academic support is available for students on Academic Probation.

In any subsequent semester, a student whose Grade Point Average falls below 2.0 will be suspended from Continuing Studies.

Period Out
Students suspended from Continuing Studies after a fall semester must sit out the following spring semester; students suspended after a spring semester must sit out the following summer and fall semesters; and students suspended after a summer semester must sit out the following fall semester.

Readmission
Students suspended from Continuing Studies may appeal to the Office of Admissions for readmission after the appropriate period out. Readmission may also require assessment of the student’s academic potential and readiness to return.

To apply for readmission, students must complete both an application for admission and a petition form, available on the Office of Admissions website. High school credentials and college transcripts may also be requested for review. The forms must be returned to the office at least one month before the first day of classes for the semester for which readmission is requested.

Note: Courses taken at another institution while suspended from Continuing Studies may not be accepted for transfer credit.

Normal and Maximum Course Loads
The maximum load for each semester is 8 credit hours. Students with superior scholastic records and/or extenuating situations (e.g., Vocational Rehabilitation, 4C’s, or Military/GI Bill) may petition for an overload permission to take additional hours.

Federal Veterans Educational Benefits
Students are eligible for benefits while enrolled in Continuing Studies. Contact the Veteran Affairs Coordinator in the Registrar’s Office at (502) 852-0998 for details.

Financial Aid
Continuing Studies students are not eligible for State or Federal Financial Aid.

Additional Information
For more information regarding Continuing Studies, go to: louisville.edu/admissions/apply/cs

¹

Credits earned after summer 1998