Enrollment Options
The CSU Admissions Department is available to guide you through the process of enrolling and registering for courses. We offer two convenient enrollment systems – the Term Enrollment System and Per-Course/Open Enrollment System.
Term Enrollment System (8 Week Courses)
Students using Federal Financial Aid or VA Benefits must use the Term Enrollment System. Courses must be completed within 8-weeks, have set start and end dates, and are cohort based. All students in the course will start the course together and proceed through the course on the same timeline.
The CSU Term Enrollment System is divided into two tracks – Schedule A and Schedule B. Schedule B starts approximately four weeks after Schedule A, allowing students to begin their degree program almost any month of the year. Students should refer to the Academic Calendar for term start dates, drop dates, end dates and registration periods. Courses available for these terms can be found on the term course schedule.
Students must submit discussion board postings and other assignments by the weekly due date. You can enroll in one or multiple courses during each eight week term. Please note that there are several differences between Term Enrollment System and Per-Course Enrollment System policies.
Per-Course/Open Enrollment System (10 Week Courses)
The CSU Per-Course/Open Enrollment System allows students to begin a course at any time. There are no predetermined semester or session dates. After your first enrollment, you may take one course after another or multiple courses simultaneously.
Courses are designed in an independent study model and are 10-weeks in length. This system is very flexible and is recommended for all students who are not required to use term enrollment.
Temporary Status Enrollment (Per-Course Enrollment System Only)
Students who wish to begin enrolling in courses immediately after submitting their Application for Admission may do so under “Temporary” Admissions Status and while “Temporary,” may complete up to 12 undergraduate semester hours or 7 graduate semester hours. Once all official transcripts are received and evaluated, an Application Evaluation Report will be issued and the student’s status changed. For more information about temporary status, view the admission status page.
Learning Partners
Columbia Southern University learning partners get a 10% discount on tuition in addition to no application fee. Visit the CSU learning partners page to see if you or your spouse's employer is a learning partner