University in Canada
Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
University profile
Athabasca University (AU) is Canada's Open University, a public, fully online university governed under Alberta's Post-secondary Learning Act and one of four comprehensive academic and research universities in Alberta. Anyone at least 16 years old who wants a university education can study there, and most undergraduate programmes are open admission with no specific entry requirements. It is the only public university in Canada that is fully digital by design.
The home campus is in Athabasca, Alberta, 145 km north of Edmonton, at 1 University Drive. AU does not operate a traditional campus for students: courses and programmes are delivered online and students study from anywhere in the world. Courses are individualised and self-paced, with a course website, tutor support and a learning resources package, and undergraduate exams are written with approved invigilators.
Teaching is organised through the Faculty of Business, the Faculty of Health Disciplines, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Technology (including the Centre for Science, the RAIC Centre for Architecture and the School of Computing and Information Systems) and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The Centre for Learning Accreditation (PLAR) assesses prior learning, and PowerED by Athabasca University offers professional development programmes and micro-credentials. In all there are over 850 courses, 21 undergraduate and graduate degree programmes in the humanities, sciences, business and health, and certificates and diplomas at 7 levels.
AU reports 35,592 students (31,043 undergraduate and 4,549 graduate), including 1,365 international students from 79 countries. The average age is 32 for undergraduates and 38 for graduates, and most students work while studying. Student support includes academic support, mental health and wellness services, accessibility services and Nukskahtowin, the Indigenous student support centre. Indigenous students receive a 10% reduction in undergraduate and graduate tuition.
AU is recognised by the Government of Alberta, which reports through the Ministry of Advanced Education, and its quality assurance and programme proposals are reviewed by the Campus Alberta Quality Council. The Faculty of Business holds AACSB accreditation (announced 16 February 2022). AU is a member of Universities Canada, the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education, the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the International Council for Open and Distance Education and others. It was a member of the US Middle States Commission on Higher Education from 2005 until it voluntarily withdrew effective 31 March 2025.
AU offers merit-based scholarships, need-based bursaries, research-oriented awards and awards for Indigenous learners, at undergraduate and graduate level. Students search and apply through the online awards portal with their AU login, and donors fund many of the awards. Questions go to the Undergraduate awards or Graduate awards team through the contact form. See the awards page, the awards search and the financial aid and awards overview.
Students planning to study on a student loan can use the financial aid application process, a self-help questionnaire and guidance on managing and repaying loans. Graduate students can download the Graduate Funding and Sponsorship Guide, which sets out the awards and scholarships available to AU learners.
Indigenous students receive a 10% reduction in the tuition portion of undergraduate and graduate course fees (undergraduate from courses starting 1 September 2024, graduate from 1 September 2026). Students at Western Canadian universities may qualify for a graduate tuition waiver under the Western Canadian Deans' Agreement.
AUGSA Graduate Student Entrance Award →
Browse the scholarships listed for Athabasca University and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Athabasca University →Athabasca is an open university: applications are accepted all year, most undergraduate programmes have no application deadline and no specific admission requirements, and applicants are admitted regardless of location, age, income or previous education. Some programmes have specific entry requirements listed on the programme page. Students can enrol in a degree, diploma or certificate programme, or take individual courses as open studies (non-program) students, and credits earned as an open studies student can later count toward a programme. Visiting students from other institutions can take courses for transfer back to their home school.
Applications start with the online Undergraduate General Application. AU is part of ApplyAlberta, which is used to enter personal and academic information and send documents. A one-time general application fee of $141 applies (non-refundable, not charged again for later courses or programmes), and an optional credit evaluation fee of $139 applies. Official transcripts must be sent directly to the Office of the Registrar if ApplyAlberta cannot forward them. After this, courses are registered through the myAU portal.
Graduate programmes usually require an undergraduate degree; doctoral degrees and post-master's certificates and diplomas require a master's degree. Programmes have set intake dates and deadlines, and most require an admission fee once an offer is accepted. Requirements and procedures vary by programme. Graduate courses can sometimes be taken as an open studies student, subject to programme limits.
Applicants who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents and who study from their home country follow the regular application process and pay a one-time, non-refundable application fee. Courses should be registered at least a month before the start, and requests for hard copies of e-textbooks or AU-produced material should be made at least 8 weeks before the course begins. Online programmes do not qualify for a study permit under IRCC rules, so an AU online programme cannot be used to obtain, renew or extend a study permit. International students already at another Canadian institution can take AU courses with a Letter of Permission from their home institution. Letters of acceptance are only issued for in-person parts of a programme (request from [email protected]).
Applicants whose first language is not English can show proficiency with any of the following: completion of high school in an English-speaking country; 15 university credits from a recognised English-speaking university or one year at a non-university post-secondary institution with an overall average of 75% (GPA 3.0); IELTS 6; CAEL 60%; MELAB 80; PTE 59; TOEFL PBT 213 with 4.5 on the TWE; TOEFL iBT 80 with an essay score of 20; or AU's English Language Proficiency Program with an overall average of 75% (GPA 3.0). Graduate programmes have their own language requirements.
Previous post-secondary courses, diplomas (block transfer, up to three years of credit), Red Seal certificates and prior learning may earn credit. A previous undergraduate degree can be credited toward up to 50% of an AU degree, but a second degree in the same or a related field is not allowed. Evaluation takes about 4 weeks after all documents arrive and can take up to 12 weeks. Credentials from outside Canada and the United States must be assessed by an international assessment agency.
Tuition is charged per course, per credit, and paid in full at registration, with no per-semester fees. Fees differ for students outside Canada and for graduate programmes. Indigenous students receive a 10% tuition reduction.
Student services such as the AU Service Centre, advising, accessibility and mental health support are provided remotely, and the university moved its digital infrastructure to the cloud on Amazon Web Services.
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