If you are looking at this page, chances are you have realized that you might not get the classes you need at your local community college, CSU or UC school. If you are at this stage, you have three options: 1) Keep trying to get classes at your school, saving money but costing you months, if not years, of delays. 2) Take classes at an accredited private school, since they count toward your GE requirements and are transferrable to UC/CSU schools and most private universities. 3) Not go to school at all. (Let’s just take option 3 off the table.)

Applicants to the Open Enrollment program must provide evidence of graduation from high school or its equivalent. Applicants who have not graduated from high school or its equivalent may qualify for admission by completion of academic work at a regionally accredited or state approved school with a 2.0 or higher cumulative grade average or by being over 18 years of age.

How do I take classes at UWest without going through the whole admissions process?

UWest offers an easy way to get the courses you need to fulfill your General Education requirements.

Simply fill out the Open Enrollment application form. This is a free application that allows you to take courses at UWest without entering a degree-seeking program. The application is free. Submit your completed application to the UWest Office of Admissions.

Download an Open Enrollment Application

When you successfully complete your course(s) you will be able to order a transcript of your completed work. 

How do I know UWest courses are transferrable?

University of the West is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the same agency that accredits UC and CSU schools, as well as numerous other West Coast schools. As such, units are transferrable so long as they are relevant to the completion of your degree. UWest has confirmed with CSU and UC schools that they will accept transfer credits from UWest. We encourage students to check with their transfer school.

Do I need to take a placement test for College Algebra?

University of the West will recognize your placement test results from your home school (community college or CSU). You must show your placement test results in order to enter a class with a prerequisite, such as College Algebra. 

So the classes are easy to get, but how will I pay for them?

One three-unit General Education courses at UWest costs $900; quite a bit more than you would pay at a community college, about equal to a CSU school and certainly less than a UC school (as well as 85% of other private schools). You have a couple of options for payment:

1. Federal Financial Aid: If you qualify for Federal Financial Aid, you can add you "home school" to your FAFSA application. For more information about paying with federal aid, click here.
2. Private student loan (see your home school's office of financial aid for more information)
3. Credit card, or cash

You should note that any Federal Financial Aid award dispersed to you will come through your “home school,” i.e. the community college or CSU where you are enrolled as a degree-seeking student or declared major.

Now that I know I can afford it, which courses should I choose?

For students seeking to fulfill the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) in order to transfer to another school, the following UWest classes would be considered “safe” in that they fulfill IGETC requirements.

Questions?

Contact the Enrollment Office
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(626)677-3311