Flexible and open
Our flexible scheduling and formats give you control over your studies, so you have time for your life.
Whether you’re looking to continue your education to advance your career, complete your program at another institution, or achieve greater stability in your life, our programs and courses are designed so you can complete your education wherever and whenever it works for you.
Compare Athabasca University to other schools
What makes studying online with Athabasca University unique compared to traditional universities? The online courses that Athabasca University offers can help you reach your post-secondary goals wherever you are whenever works best for you.
Athabasca University's flexible, online university courses allow learners to study while working full-time, travelling abroad, raising a family, or juggling any other life circumstance that can make it challenging to fit in traditional education with your schedule.
For over 50 years, Athabasca University has been offering accredited, distance university courses and programs. Check out what makes studying with Canada's Online University unique.
How is Athabasca University similar to traditional universities?
- Accreditation and oversight from Alberta Advanced Education and the Middle States Commission of the United States, ensuring the education delivered meets the highest standards.
- Courses are designed by experts in their respective fields and remain up to date with the latest information.
- Transfer credits and equivalencies are available between institutions.
- Additional support services such as academic advising and counselling are available to every Athabasca University learner, whether you are taking one course or an entire program.
- Athabasca University is recognized across academia and industry as a reputable post-secondary institution producing well-educated, and work-ready, grads.
How is Athabasca University different from traditional universities?
Topic | Athabasca University | Traditional university |
---|---|---|
Textbooks | Athabasca University includes eTexts or other learning materials for courses that require them. These materials are built into the cost of your course. | Textbooks for each course you take are an additional expense. Often, these books are costly and you will only read certain sections related to your course. |
Schedule | You can study and complete your coursework whenever, wherever. You can study while also keeping up with other important parts of your life, like work and family. | Classes occur on a set schedule determined by the school, not necessarily when it works for you. Balancing a busy life becomes much trickier between work, family, and education. |
Exams | Book your final exam on the day that works best for you. | Exams are on set dates, decided by the program. |
Admission | Program registration is non-competitive and you can start when it works best for you. First year undergraduate courses rarely have prerequisites, other than you need to be at least 16 years old to apply. | Admission is limited and can be highly competitive. Some programs can have very minimal intakes with high demand. Many programs will only accept high school graduates with certain grade point averages. |
Classes | Classes never fill up and begin on the first day of each month, every month. | Classes are broken up into three or four semesters, all with similar starting dates. Classes in demand can fill up quickly. |
Online delivery | Athabasca University is Canada's largest distance university - offering online, accredited post-secondary education for over 25 years. We've perfected online learning and developed our courses specifically for independent study. | Traditional universities are just starting to integrate online learning into their programs. With this being a recent development in education, these schools are still trying to incorporate their classroom courses for online study. |
THINKING ABOUT STUDYING WITH US?
Want to know more about studying online with Athabasca University?
Download our Online Learning Checklist to make sure you have everything you need to be successful with online post-secondary.
Why study online?
Studying online with Athabasca University means you can get a quality education that fits your life. You can tailor your education to your personal interests or professional needs, and you can complete your studies without sacrificing your family, career, or community commitments.
Flexible
You can apply anytime – and once you’ve completed the application process you can register for a course immediately. With many courses starting on the first of every month, we’re ready when you are.
Our students have completed courses and degrees while
- pursuing a full-time career
- raising a family
- travelling abroad
- working in remote arctic outposts
- serving overseas with the Canadian Forces or humanitarian groups
- competing as professional or Olympic athletes
Open
At Athabasca University, we believe everyone should have equal, open access to education. We’ve made it our mission to remove the barriers that can limit access to post-secondary achievement, so we admit undergraduate students regardless of
- location
- age
- income
- culture
- work and family responsibilities
- previous educational background or achievements
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Updated February 27, 2023 by Digital & Web Operations (web_services@athabascau.ca)