Non-degree Students

Anyone can have access to CSUN's amazing faculty, classes and resources through Open University classes. These non-degree offerings can be taken by people who are not enrolled in a CSUN degree program and are run through the Tseng College of Graduate, International and Midcareer Education.

Why Take Open University Classes?

Open University offers hundreds of online and in-person CSUN courses taught by outstanding university faculty members. Some of our classes even have multiple session lengths to fit your schedule.

You'll be able to boost your GPA, satisfy prerequisites and improve your knowledge — all at CSUN.

Things to Note:

  • For each course, you must obtain a permission number from the instructor or academic department. Submitting a request does not guarantee permission to enroll. Learn more about Open University permission numbers.
  • The number of units that may be taken as a non-degree student and transferred toward a future degree is limited and varies for undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, visit University Access.

How to Register

Choose the semester or term you would like to register for on the University Access page. Click on the "Review Calendar" icon to see the registration dates.

Your CSUN ID will allow you to register for classes without enrolling in the school. Follow these steps:

  • Fill out the student application.
  • Under "Program to Enroll," select either Undergraduate Credit or Graduate Credit.
  • Save your User ID, Student ID and password.

Note: If you are a current or former CSUN student, you may skip this step and use your current portal login information.

You will need to request a permission number in order to enroll. Use the Open University Course Request Submission Form to contact the professor and department.

Make sure your request includes the following:

  • Your CSUN ID number
  • Specific courses (including section number) you would like to add
  • Information on how you have satisfied the course prerequisites (e.g. unofficial transcripts)
  • Reasons for taking these courses through Open University

Learn more about permission numbers

Before attempting to enroll in any course, please make sure to have your payment ready. All tuition and campus fee payments are due within 2 hours of registering for a class. If payment is not received, you will be dropped from all classes due to non-payment. This rule helps to ensure that all possible open seats remain available to other registrants.

Follow these steps to enroll:

  1. Enable popups and login using your User ID and the password you selected
  2. In the "Quick Links" box, click Enroll in Classes and choose "Open University"
  3. Read Important Student Fee Information and click to acknowledge that full payment is due when you enroll
  4. Select Graduate Credit or Undergraduate Credit
  5. Enter the 5 digit class number below for your selected classes and click search to find your class
  6. Proceed through the confirmation steps and click Make a Payment to pay

Need help? See extended instructions (PDF)

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