Course Auditor FAQs

Please see below for the answers to frequently asked questions about auditing a class at Bowdoin.

General Course Auditor FAQs

All requests to audit a course must be submitted online. Full details on the process are available on the Course Auditing page. Please note: Auditors will be able to select a first and a second choice.

An email will be sent to auditors confirming your course selection and additional information prior to the start of classes, but please note that you will not receive it right away; it will take several weeks.

We are not able to offer a waiting list. You will be asked to select a second choice on your initial sign up and if your first choice is full, we will attempt to place you in your second choice.

To allow as many community members as possible the opportunity to audit a course, we limit each auditor to one course per semester.

To audit any course at Bowdoin requires auditors to be comfortable with technology—information about the course and assignments will be delivered via Canvas (a software platform), and many readings and other course materials will only be available digitally. Additionally, accessing all Bowdoin software platforms requires two-factor authentication which involves installing an app on a smart phone and being comfortable with using it. If a course requires more advanced technical skills, it will be noted in the Course Audit Request Form.

Courses that are audited at Bowdoin are not graded and therefore, you will not receive a transcript.

If a high school student needs a grade for their high school transcript, the guidance counselor will work with the Bowdoin instructor to obtain the course work and/or a grade for the student.

All courses available for selection have been determined to be appropriate for auditors by the instructor and there is no pre-approval needed. However, if you have concerns about your ability to successfully participate in a course we recommend that you select another course for auditing.

Auditors selecting a course offered by a language department should have a background in the language as they are taught primarily in the language.

All course auditors must be able to access their course via a Bowdoin OneCard. Bowdoin students and employees will have the appropriate building access added to the existing OneCard. All others will need to acquire a OneCard; community members will receive instructions in their email received prior to the start of classes.

Please contact registrar@bowdoin.edu for instructions and do not submit a Course Auditing Request Form.

Community Member Course Auditor FAQs

Yes, only courses available for auditing will be available to select in the Course Audit Request Form.

All courses available for auditing are included in the list—faculty members will not be able to accept auditors in courses not on the preapproved list and prospective auditors should not contact them.

Yes. The fee for community members to audit a course is $70 for members of the Association of Bowdoin Friends and $100 for other community members.

Course auditors will receive an email with payment instructions once their auditing placement has been confirmed, they have scheduled the mandatory technology set-up appointment, and they have completed the first week of classes. Please note that we can only accept credit card payments for the course audit fee.

High School Student Auditor FAQs

A high school student may audit a Bowdoin class when permission is granted by the course instructor in consultation with the student's high school guidance department.

No, as long as you have received approval from the instructor and/or lab instructor and they feel that you have the ability to be successful, you can audit the course.

Visit the Course Auditing page for detailed instructions on requesting to audit courses at Bowdoin.

Course Auditor FAQs

May I request to audit a course in person at the Office of the Registrar?

How quickly will I receive confirmation that I have been approved to audit my requested course?

Can I sign up for a waiting list for courses that are filled at the time I submit my requests?

May I audit more than one course each semester?

What technical skills do I need to audit courses at Bowdoin?

Will I receive an official transcript with a grade for a course that I audit?

What background should I have in order to be allowed to audit a course?

How will I access the building where my course is being held?

If I am a teaching fellow or a student at a Maine college other than Bowdoin and would like to audit or register for a Bowdoin course, what should I do?

When I complete the Course Audit Request Form, will I only see courses available to audit?

If I am interested in auditing a course that is not on the list of courses approved for auditing, may I contact the professor to see if it would be ok for me to audit the course?

Is there a fee for community members to audit a course at Bowdoin?

How do community members pay the fee?

Are high school students eligible to audit courses at Bowdoin?

Is there a list of approved courses that are available for high school students to audit?