Restrictions, Time Limits, and Expirations
Minimum Time to Complete a Course
You may begin work on your course immediately after enrolling. Your enrollment period is nine months (276 days) from the date of enrollment. The minimum time to complete a course is twelve weeks for a three-credit-hour course, nine weeks for a two-credit-hour course, and six weeks for a one-credit-hour course. The minimum time is counted from the date we receive your first assignment, not from the date of your enrollment. We cannot guarantee that you can complete a course in the minimum time allowed. At certain times of the year, instructors may not be available for rapid grading of assignments and exams. This is particularly true during winter holidays, near the end of terms, and in the summer months.
It is your responsibility to complete your course within the constraints indicated here. If you are facing a personal deadline, before you enroll you should make certain that the instructor's schedule will permit him or her to grade your work quickly enough for you to meet your deadline.
Restrictions on Submitting Assignments
Ideally, you should submit assignments one at a time and review comments from your instructor before submitting additional work. In a three-credit-hour course, you are limited to submitting one-fifth of the total number of assignments in your course every two weeks. For one- and two-credit-hour courses, students are not permitted to submit more than 1/5 of the total number of assignments at any one time. If your instructor has not returned your work at the end of the two-week period, you are allowed to submit further work.
Scheduling and Taking Your Final Exam
You may take your final exam after you have submitted all of your assignments. If you wish to take your exam at the Friday Center, call at least one week in advance to schedule a date and time. If you are scheduling your exam at another location, submit your exam application form at least two weeks in advance. Allow at least two weeks between the time you plan to take the final exam and the time your grade must be posted to a transcript at the records office of the UNC institution offering your course.
Course Expirations
Courses expire nine months after the enrollment date. You will receive a notice prior to the expiration of your course, and you may extend your enrollment if you wish.
Extending Your Enrollment Period
First renewal
You may extend your original enrollment period for four months by completing the renewal form (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free if you do not have it on your computer) and paying a renewal fee of $30. The renewal period begins immediately upon conclusion of the original nine-month enrollment period.
Second renewal
You may request a second renewal period of four months if the following conditions have been met:
- Your ability to complete the course has been seriously hampered by circumstances relating to employment, health, family responsibilities, or comparable personal factors or significant involvement in other forms of learning.
- You could not have fully anticipated these circumstances at the time you enrolled in the course.
- You are able, despite the circumstances, to demonstrate a reasonable degree of progress in the course within the original enrollment period and/or the first renewal.
The fee for a second renewal period is $75.