Program Overview
Our Exploration Courses provide students the opportunity to experience WashU from home. Through these online, noncredit courses, students immerse themselves in collegiate study through a series of interactive activities, lectures, and discussions with pre-college peers from around the world.
Students learn to communicate clearly and thoughtfully on complex topics and build confidence in college-level course work. This program is ideal for students who are looking for the flexibility of an online experience and interested in exploring connections between various fields of study.
Exploration Courses are offered asynchronously. This means students will not have set required times to attend class which allows for balancing these courses with other school and extracurricular commitments. Class sizes are small (no more than 15 students) to ensure students receive personalized feedback from instructors.
Eligibility
To be eligible to register for an Exploration Course students should:
- Be a current high school student graduating in 2025, 2026, or 2027.
- Have a minimum 3.5 weighted cumulative grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.
- As an international student, have a TOEFL iBT composite score of at least 90 or IELTS Academic score of at least 6.5. Additional guidelines for international students are available here.
- Meet any prerequisites listed for a course.
Enrollment
Students interested in enrolling should submit a registration form, copy of their transcript, and signed parent liability waiver and release. Registration requests are reviewed on a rolling basis until a course fills or the deadline indicated below.
Registration Deadlines
- Spring 2024: January 8, 2024
- Summer 2024: May 3, 2024
- Fall 2024: August 19, 2024
Space is limited to no more than 15 students in these courses, so we encourage students not to wait until the deadline to submit registration materials.
Fees and Scholarships
The 2024 program fee for Explorations Courses is $985 per course. Need-based scholarship assistance is available. Children of WashU employees and returning students are eligible for a 10% discount. Details on need-based scholarships and discounts are available here.
Once we receive and review registration materials, we will send details on paying the balance due. The balance must be paid in full in order for a student to be enrolled in courses.
Grades and Transcripts
Although courses are noncredit, they are rigorous. At the conclusion of course work, enrollment in an Exploration Course will be recorded and become part of a student's record at WashU. Noncredit courses do not issue a traditional letter grade (A, B, C, D, F). Instead, students will receive an "L" for successful completion/audit or a "Z" for unsuccessful completion/audit. Students can request a transcript from the Office of the University Registrar.
Students are evaluated based on engagement in Canvas ("attendance"), completion of assignments by deadlines, quality of work produced, participation in discussions, as well as their ability to adhere to academic integrity standards and program policies. Because Exploration Courses are noncredit, no transferable credit is earned.
Enrollment in an Exploration Course does not imply or guarantee acceptance into a degree program at WashU. For questions about the undergraduate admission process, please contact Undergraduate Admissions.
Orientation
Once a student has been enrolled for course work, they will be invited to join the A&S Pre-College Orientation in Canvas which includes additional information about policies, procedures, and available resources.