The Basics

As a graduate of American University, you can audit one non-tutorial course per semester for the nominal fee of $100 (plus course fees). The Alumni Audit Program supports the Alumni Association Scholarship by donating $75 of your $100 registration fee to the scholarship's endowment. The scholarship is awarded every other year to an AU freshman legacy student. For more information on the Alumni Association Scholarship, please contact Tara Lang at 202-885-5921 or click on the link on the right hand side of the page.

Please refer to the steps below to guide you through the registration process. Registration for the spring semester of 2010 will run from January 11 until close of business on January 21. The registration form can be downloaded through the link on the right of this home page.

Check The Schedule

Please check the registrar's schedule of classes, linked on the right side of this page. A class must be listed as "Open" for an auditor to enroll in it.

Classes That Qualify

Institutes and seminars are NOT available for alumni audit, NOR are courses that require a special tuition rate or are taught at other institutions through the consortium. If you have a question about a course's availability, please contact the Alumni Programs office directly at 202-885-5962.

Department Approval

The following departments require alumni auditors to receive departmental approval (in the form of a signature or e-mail) before they can enroll in the class. Please contact the alumni programs office if you have any questions about this issue.

College of Arts and Sciences

-Anthropology (courses at the 500 level and above)

-Audio Technology (all courses)

-Art (all courses)

-Health and Fitness (all courses)

-History (courses at the 500 level and above)

-Language and Foreign Studies (all courses)

-Literature (courses at the 400 level and above)

-Psychology (all courses)

Kogod School of Business

-All courses that require a prerequisite need departmental approval.

School of International Service

-All courses that require a prerequisite need departmental approval. Please note that SIS-633 and SIS-033 are not available for alumni auditors.

School of Communication

-All courses must be approved through Jonnel Clothier at jclothier@american.edu.

School of Public Affairs

-All courses must be approved through the respective department.

Check Your Status

Academic Record

Please call the Office of the Registrar at 202-885-2200 to ensure that you are listed as a graduate of the university. This is especially important if you have graduated in the last six months.

Financial Record

Please call the Office of Student Accounts to make sure that you are in good financial standing with the university. Any outstanding balances must be paid before you can enroll in the alumni audit program.

Completing Your Registration

Download and Complete Registration Form

You can send in the completed form by fax, at 202-885-5964, by mail at the address below, or by scanning the form and e-mailing a copy to Dan Beardslee at dan.beardslee@american.edu

Enrollment Process

Once your form is received, the Alumni Programs office will double-check to make sure that you have graduated from the university, are in good financial standing, and that your preferred class is open. If all those conditions are met, a request will be sent to the Office of the Registrar to enroll you in the course.

Confirmation of Enrollment

Alumni audit participants are confirmed on each Friday of the registration period. Please plan on going to your first classes even if you have not received word that are officially enrolled.

Academic Resources

Once you have received your confirmation e-mail, you will be able to sign into "Blackboard" to fully experience life as a student. If your class requires access to any particular software programs, please contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@american.edu for assistance in gaining access.

Mailing Address

American University
ATTN: Dan Beardslee
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20016-8002