Course Enrollment
- Enrollment at the Host University
- If your application is approved, you will be provided with further instructions from your host university about how to enroll.
- Enrollment at UCSC
- You will be enrolled in a placeholder course that will be replaced with your actual APRU VSE course title, units, and grade. Your grade will be converted to a UC letter grade and calculated into your UCSC GPA, and the credits you earn will be converted into quarter credits and added to your UCSC transcript.
Course Format
Courses are taught by a faculty at the host university, and you will be attending with students primarily from that university.
Note: It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the necessary hardware, software, and online connectivity to participate successfully in the course.
Asynchronous vs. Synchronous / Time Zones
The VSE Program consists of both synchronous and asynchronous courses, and many of the course-offering universities are located in different time zones. As you review the course information, pay attention to the Mode of Teaching (synchronous vs. asynchronous), Meeting Time, and most importantly, Time Zone. If you are considering a course that is offered in a synchronous format, you will need to convert class times into your local time zone to verify that they will not conflict with your UCSC courses. (Here is a handy time zone converter.)
Credit
A course taken as part of the VSE Program is awarded UC credit and will appear on your UCSC transcript. You will initially be enrolled in a 5-unit placeholder course during the term you are enrolled in. This placeholder course will be replaced with your actual APRU VSE course title, units, and grade after your host university issues and sends your transcript to UCSC. Your grade will be converted to a UC letter grade and calculated into your UCSC GPA, and the credits you earn will be converted into quarter credits and added to your UCSC transcript.
You may also petition the course for major/minor credit through your department, or GE credit through the Faculty Senate Committee on Courses of Instruction. Please find more information below.
Course Load/Credit Conversion
You will enroll in one online academic course to complete your full-time course load taken at UCSC. At the time of application, you will need to verify that the credits from the course (when converted to UCSC quarter credits) will not cause you to exceed the maximum enrollment limit at UCSC (19 credits).
Full Course Load Example:
- 2 UCSC courses
- 1 APRU host university course
How to Obtain Major or Minor Credit for a Course Taken on APRU VSE Program
Speak with your major/minor department advisor to determine your chosen VSE Program course. Departments have final approval over which, if any, courses may be used to satisfy major/minor requirements. Approval processes vary by department. You should be prepared to share course information, which may include the course description, syllabi, or coursework, with your department to review.
How to Obtain General Education (GE) Credit for a Course Taken on APRU VSE Program
You may request pre-approval for courses by completing a Proposed Program Evaluation through the Office of Admissions. Allow up to 6 weeks for your request to be reviewed – start early! If your academic plan relies on satisfying a specific GE through the VSE Program, it is strongly recommended you request pre-approval rather than assume your VSE Program course will satisfy a GE. The DC requirement must be taken through UCSC.
The UCSC Office of Admissions has final approval over which, if any, courses may be used to satisfy GE requirements.
Repeating a Course
It is not possible to replace a grade earned in the VSE Program course by taking a similar course at UCSC. Similarly, it is not possible to earn credit for a course on the VSE Program that you have already completed at UCSC. You should also not plan to retake the VSE Program course. Your grade earned in an APRU VSE Program course is final.
Pass/No Pass
You are expected to follow the UCSC policy on the Pass/No Pass Option. If you are in good academic standing you may request to take a specific course Pass/No Pass, but no more than 25 percent of your UCSC credits applied toward graduation may be graded as Pass/No Pass.
Several majors require all or most major requirements to be taken for a letter grade; read your major requirements carefully before using the Pass/No Pass option for any course you intend to request major/minor approval.
Graduating Students
If you are enrolling in a course through the VSE Program as part of your final quarter before graduation, it is recommended that you plan to delay your graduation by at least one quarter. Grades can take up to 4 months after the end of your program to be posted to your UC transcript and you may not declare candidacy until the term after your program.