If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, and you plan to stay in your home country while completing your Athabasca University program, you can follow the regular application process. There will be a onetime, non-refundable CDN fee once you submit your application. For fee information, please visit Academic-related fees .
You should register for your courses at least one month before your intended start date. Also, you should note that students studying internationally may have different timelines for:
- Processing exam requests
- Marking
- Regular mail correspondence
- Read our service standards
If you plan to come to Canada on a study permit, our offerings are limited to students in specific circumstances. AU does not offer any programs that meet IRCC regulations for long-term study permits and unfortunately there’s no option to get a study permit to take an online program in Canada under IRCC regulations.
You must enrol in an eligible course or program that is held in a classroom if you plan to live in Canada on a study permit. Short-term study permits will be issued only for the required in-person components of an otherwise online-only degree. This includes graduate students required to be in Canada to complete research under the supervision of AU faculty.
The following undergraduate and graduate programs have practicums, residencies or field placements that require short-term stays in Canada:
Undergraduate
- University Certificate in Heritage Resources Management
Graduate
- Master of Counselling
- Master of Nursing: Nurse Practitioner
- Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Heritage Resources Management
- Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Counselling
Study permits will be issued for the length of time you are required to be in Canada only and are issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). You must meet eligibility requirements in order to get a study permit. All questions about applying for study permits should be directed to IRCC.
Apply using the online application form.
For more guidance on short-term study permits, please contact international@athabascau.ca.
According to IRCC, if you are in Canada on a work or visitors permit, you can take an online course or program – even if your permit says you can’t attend school. Apply using the online application form.
If your first language is not English, you must demonstrate English Language Proficiency (ELP) to take Athabasca University courses. AU accepts the following as proof of English Language Proficiency:
- Completion of high school in an English-speaking country.
- Completion of 15 university credits from a recognized English-speaking university, or 1 year at a non-university post-secondary institution with an overall average of 75% (GPA of 3.0).
- Minimum score of 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
- Minimum score of 60% on the Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL).
- Minimum score of 80 on the Michigan English Language Battery (MELAB) test.
- Minimum score of 59 on the Pearson Test of English (PTE).
- Minimum score of 213 on the computer- or paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT), with 4.5 on the Test of Written English (TWE).
- Minimum score of 80 with an essay score of 20 on the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT).
- Successful completion of AU’s English Language Proficiency Program with an overall average of 75% (GPA of 3.0).
- See the English Language Proficiency Requirements Policy for further details.
AU’s graduate programs have slightly different ELP requirements. In addition to the general graduate ELP requirements, individual programs may also have their own rules.
Find your graduate program If you have credentials from an institution outside of Canada or the United States and you would like AU to consider them for transfer credit, you need to have an assessment done through an international assessment agency.
Transfer credit for foreign credentials