Auditing a Class

What is auditing a class?

"Auditing" a class probably means something different to students than it does to advisors or other academic staff.

From UW's perspective, auditing a class involves registering and paying for a course, and then changing your registration to "auditor".  Students auditing a course cannot participate in class discussion, lab work, or exams, and the course will not appear on the student's record (here's the official policy).

For students, however, "auditing" usually means "I want to sit in on class sessions and learn the material without paying for the course or doing the homework or exams".

Okay...can I sit in on a class?

This is a common question from students, often because they are interested in the topic or want to gain foundational knowledge in preparation for other coursework.  You are not restricted from sitting in on classes, however, as a courtesy you should seek instructor permission first (especially if the classroom is full).  In general, instructors are quite willing to allow someone to sit in on the classes and learn from them, and may even be willing to give you access to the course webpage in Canvas - but it's up to them.

Even if you sit in on every class session, there will be no official academic record that you did so and the class cannot be used to satisfy course prerequisites or degree requirements.  Sitting in on classes informally should be done only for your own educational benefit.