Admissions & Enrollment Policies

You could be closer to earning your degree than you know.
Find out how close – submit your application today.

Here’s why. CSU allows maximum transfer credit. Up to 75% of undergraduate courses and 50% of the courses that comprise the graduate programs can be transferred into your degree program at CSU – saving you time and money.

Here's how it works. After we receive your application, CSU will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your prior academic credit. Within seven to ten working days of receipt of your application, we will prepare a detailed Evaluation Report. This report will outline those courses we have determined you should take and those courses for which we have accepted transfer credit. Included with your Evaluation Report will be a complete Enrollment Packet. Within this packet you will find all the information you need to make an informed decision to enroll.

Here’s all you need to do.

The Admissions Process

1. Application

Complete the Application for Admissions. Include transcripts of academic credit earned (copies will suffice for evaluative purposes). Military transcripts should be included as well (ARTS for Army, SMARTS for Navy/Marines). In addition, please include copies of your professional licenses as well as copies of professional certificates that list CEU's awarded or classroom hours attended. Students who have never attended college must submit proof of graduation from high school or GED.

If you do not have student copies of your transcripts, request them from the appropriate university or college and have them sent directly to CSU. Transcript Request Form

For information on how you can earn credit for "Experiential Learning" see below.

Please indicate on your application if you are eligible for tuition assistance through either DANTES or VA We will be certain to provide to you the necessary forms you will need to complete.

2. Application Evaluation

Columbia Southern University will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your academic credit. Within seven to ten working days of receipt of your application, we will prepare a detailed Evaluation Report. This report will outline those courses we have determined you should take and those courses for which we have accepted transfer credit. Need to accelerate? CSU's Priority Evaluation Service ($25) guarantees your application will be evaluated within 24 hours of receipt.

3. Per Course Enrollment

With the Per-Course Enrollment option, enrollment and registration is a one-step process. Students begin the course(s) they list on the Per Course Agreement.

Students may enroll in one or two courses at a time. If two courses are listed, this indicates both courses will be started and completed simultaneously within a ten week period. Students utilizing the Per Course Enrollment system qualify for the CSU Book Grant. Through this grant, textbooks are provided at no additional charge.

4. Begin Your Program

Once you have completed the enrollment process, the first course you will take is OR-1010, Student Orientation. Student Orientation (1 credit hour) is a requirement of all newly enrolled students. Its purpose is to provide the basic knowledge to successfully achieve your academic goals. You will be introduced to study tactics and tips, administrative progress, and advice for navigating through distance and online learning at Columbia Southern University.

Following your completion of OR-1010 Student Orientation, you will take those core and major/concentration courses required of you in the sequence in which they appear on your evaluation report. General Studies courses may be taken in any sequence. Though you may petition the university to alter this established course sequence, we advise that you do not. At the beginning of each course you will be assigned a professor who will be readily available to you via e-mail or phone.

Transfer Credit

Students earn academic credit in a number of ways: Transcripts; Challenge Examinations; Applicable Training and Certificates; Experiential Learning (knowledge and understanding of course content acquired through experience).

Academic Credit

Columbia Southern University accepts transfer academic credit from institutions accredited by agencies that are recognized by the United States Secretary of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or, for non-U.S. institutions, an accepted foreign equivalent that is listed in the International Handbook of Universities. For prior academic credit to be eligible for transfer at the Bachelor's level grades earned must be a "C" or better. At the Master's level only those courses on which applicant/student has earned a "B" or better will be accepted."

Credit By Examination

Columbia Southern University accepts credit by examination from the following:

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
American College Testing (ACT-PEP)
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education (DANTES)

Professional Licenses, Certifications, and Training Programs

CSU uses the guidelines established by ACE (American Council on Education) to determine if certain training programs, certificates, professional licenses, and military training warrant the awarding of academic credit.

The National Guide to Education Credit for Training Programs, published by the American Council on Education.

Guide To The Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services, published by the American Council on Education.

Experiential Learning

The University recognizes that you may have gained knowledge and skills through various work/life experiences and independent learning which may be the equivalent to one of our course offerings. You must complete a Prior Learning Portfolio to properly document all experiential learning that is to be considered for college credit. You are not required to complete your Portfolio at the time of enrollment. You must however, submit your Prior Learning Portfolio before completing your degree program.

To assist you in assembling the documentation necessary to support the awarding of academic credit on the basis of experiential learning, CSU provides easy to understand guidelines. If academic credit sought is not awarded through Portfolio Assessment, you will be required to complete these courses prior to graduation.

In determining credit for Experiential Learning, the University follows the guidelines suggested by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).

Academic credit awarded for experiential learning cannot exceed the following:

Associate Degree Programs – Fifteen (15) credit hours
of CSU General Studies and/or business technical courses.

Bachelor Degree Programs -- Fifteen (15) credit hours of General Studies coursework; Fifteen (15) credit hours of CSU major courses for a total of 30 hours

Master Degree Programs -- Nine (9) credit hours of CSU major courses

Enrollment Policies

ENROLLMENT PERIOD: Students may enroll in one to three courses at a time. If more than one course is listed, this indicates all courses will be started and completed simultaneously within a ten week period. Students may enroll in nine (9) credit hours without permission, ten (10) credit hours with permission. Twelve (12) credit hours are the max.

COURSE COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS: A course must be completed within ten-weeks (70 days) from the course start date. The course start date is one day after the student has been granted online access.

COURSE EXTENSION: Any student not completing his/her course in the ten-week timeframe allotted will have the option to request an extension from the University. The University must receive this request within one week of the end of the original ten-week period. The extension will provide an additional 30 days in which the student will be allowed to complete the course. For each course that a thirty-day extension is requested there will be a $50 fee. A maximum of two thirty-day extensions are allowed for each course. Students who do not complete the course on which the extension was granted within the extension period requested will receive an "I/F" (incomplete/fail) for this course. In such instances, the course must be taken over again in its entirety and the student will be required to pay full tuition of the course.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE (LOA): An LOA effectively places a student’s program on "hold" for a period of six months. During this period of time, all financial and all academic obligations are suspended until such a time as the LOA period expires or the student alerts the University that he/she is ready to resume their studies. Upon returning from a Leave of Absence, students have what time remains in the ten-week period allotted for course completion from the time the LOA began. A Leave of Absence will only be awarded on the basis of extenuating circumstances, i.e., illness, prolonged hospital stay, death of immediate family member, etc. Requests for LOA status must be made in writing. If granted, the fee for this status will be $50.

INACTIVE STATUS: Students who do not submit any coursework within a twelve-month period will be considered inactive and any tuition being held by the University will be forfeited. Students wishing to return to their studies must be re-evaluated and will be subject to any changed academic requirements, tuition increases, and policy changes in force at the time of re-enrollment. The student will also be assessed a $25 Re-evaluation Fee and a $100 Re-enrollment Fee.