School of Liberal Studies & Continuing Education

Enrollment Policy

Undergraduate credit courses offered by the School of Liberal Studies & Continuing Education are open to anyone qualified to do college-level work. Many undergraduate courses in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and some courses in the School of the Arts at Purchase College are also open to the public on a space-available basis. Proficiency in English is required, and students must meet any course prerequisites. 

• Adults with a high school diploma or its equivalent are welcome to register.

• Senior citizen auditors: New York State residents who are at least 60 years of age are welcome to enroll tuition-free as a “special auditor” each semester, including summer session, in a maximum of two credit-bearing, on-campus courses in which space is available to special auditors. Refer to the academic calendar for the dates of in-person senior citizen registration. This option is not available in online courses.

• Visiting students from other colleges are responsible for obtaining approval from their college to transfer Purchase College credits back to their college before registering for credit courses. They are also personally responsible for the college’s tuition, fees, and other applicable charges and are bound by all college policies. For financial aid, please contact the financial aid office at your home institution.

• High school students who wish to enroll in credit courses must have (a) completed their junior year and (b) received approval from Purchase College to register. High school students are strongly encouraged to only consider lower-level (1000–2999) credit courses and are responsible for meeting any prerequisites. 

Please review the following:

• Course Load and Overload (Academic Policies)
• Registration Procedures (Office of the Registrar)
• Tuition and Fees (Office of Student Financial Services)

• Winter session and summer session courses are equivalent to those offered during the academic year; therefore, students should expect to devote at least as much time to each winter session and summer session course as they do during any other semester.

• Independent Studies and Tutorials
  Only students who are enrolled in a degree program at Purchase College are eligible for independent studies or tutorials. 

• Academic Integrity
  All students are bound by the Student Code of Conduct at Purchase College, which includes the college policy on academic integrity. Any form of academic dishonesty is considered extremely serious and may result in disciplinary action, including expulsion.

• Satisfactory Academic Progress (Academic Policies)