Attendance and Required Activity in Course

APUS delivers courses in an online, asynchronous environment.  Courses are offered in 8 and 16 week formats, with specific learning objectives and associated assignments for each week.  There are no specific times or days that students must login to their electronic classrooms, but some general requirements, as indicated in the policy below, have been developed to ensure that students achieve published learning objectives and satisfy attendance rules necessary to meet regulations of the Department of Education for disbursement of Federal Student Aid, if applicable.   

All APUS students are required to log into their online classroom during the first week of class (Monday of the first week through the following Sunday at 11:59 Eastern Time).  At the start of the second week of class APUS will take a census in each class to determine which students did not log in during the first week, and will administratively drop those who (1) did not log in, and (2) did not submit a voluntary drop request.  Courses, from which students are dropped, either administratively or voluntarily, will not count towards "attempted" credits in calculating eligibility for Federal Student Aid (if applicable).  Students who are administratively dropped during the first week will receive a 100% tuition credit and a grade of “DP”, which will not appear on their transcript.

Beyond the first week, APUS does not take formal attendance in the classroom, as the pace of learning may be different for each student. Each student is expected to take full responsibility for his or her academic work and progress.  The on-line classroom is the focal point for all students during their attendance at APUS, and students are expected to comply with all classroom login and participation requirements as defined by their course instructor.  It is up to the student to request withdrawal from courses or course extensions for completion of coursework, as appropriate.  Specific procedures for each of these actions are contained in the APUS Student Handbook.  Students who are withdrawn from a course are subject to appropriate withdrawal fees, and their transcripts will reflect a withdrawal grade (W, WP, or WF).  These courses will count as “attempted” for calculation of financial aid eligibility.

In the event a student stops attending a course or the institution and does not notify the Registrar through an official course withdrawal request, APUS may be required to return Federal Student Aid funds and the student will be required pay for any outstanding balance created by the return of funds.