Off Campus + Online Learning
The University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing BScN programs cannot be completed via distance learning.
It is possible to take some electives at other schools for transfer, but this does not apply to any Faculty of Nursing NURS or SC INF courses and our programs require full-time campus attendance. The first step in this process is to understand the structure of your program.
Off-Campus Studies
If you decide to study off-campus and complete a course at another institution, you are required to complete a Letter of Permission to take a course from another institution. This is to ensure that the course meets the requirements of the program and the course is transferable to the University of Alberta. If you take a course at another institution without a Letter of Permission, and the course is not transferable or equivalent, you will NOT receive transfer credit.
To complete the letter of permission please contact the Nursing Academic Advisors through your student portal.
Once the course is complete, you are required to submit an official transcript by requesting it be sent directly from the school where the course was completed, to the University of Alberta's Office of the Registrar, so transfer of credit can be processed.
NOTICE: It can take several months before an official transcript is received from other institutions. NURS 422, NURS 425, NURS 485 and NURS 494/495 require that all other courses are completed before you can register and complete the courses. If your official transcript has not been received from another institution, you will not be allowed to register in these courses until it is received.
Every school uses its own course numbering system. For example, PHIL 152 or ENGL 155 from Athabasca University are NOT university transferable as they are "preparatory courses." The University of Alberta begins its course numbering with 100; however, the University of Calgary and Athabasca University are two examples of schools that start their numbering system with 200.
Before you can take a course at another school you must first enroll as a student at that institution. Because you are already in a degree program and intend to use their courses towards your BScN degree, you need to register as an "unclassified" or "open studies" student. These are the most common terms used, but check their application form for the definitions of student status. Once the course is completed and the result recorded on the school's transcript, make arrangements for an official transcript to be sent from their Registrar's Office to the University of Alberta Office of the Registrar to receive transfer credit.