Listener, auditor & sponsored students

Listener

Interested in joining the McMaster community and taking a class as a listener?  Listeners attend all classes but don’t complete assignments or tests and do not earn course credit or a grade.

Complete the Listener Form and upload it to MacDrive.

Please consider the following when making your course selection requests:

  • Only the faculties of Humanities, Science and Social Sciences and the INSPIRE Office of Flexible Learning (INSPIRE, LATAM, and ABLD courses) enroll Listeners at the undergraduate level. Please refer to the Undergraduate Calendar for course selections.
  • The Faculty Office can assist with course offerings and recommendations
  • The School of Graduate Studies does not enroll Listeners in their courses.
  • Have you met all participation requirements for the course (i.e. WHMIS)?
  • Level four courses are not open to listeners. Please consider level one and two courses.
  • Not all courses are available every term.
  • Listeners 65 years of age and older can enroll for free
  • Listeners under 65 years old will pay a listener (level four tuition) fee
  • Please note that applying does not guarantee enrolment

Space is limited in many courses offered by the participating Faculties.  You will be notified by email when you are enrolled in the course. This may be after the add/drop date for the term.

Auditor

If you’re currently enrolled at McMaster in an undergraduate program, you may request permission to audit a course from the instructor and your faculty office.

Graduate students should contact the School of Graduate studies for questions on auditing.

You must satisfy the prerequisites for the course, register and pay applicable fees. You will not complete assignments or write the final examination. No credit will be earned. A notation of ‘AUD’ is assigned in place of a grade.

The deadline to switch a course from credit to audit (and vice versa) is the last day for enrolment changes in the relevant term.

Senior (undergraduate degree courses)

If you’re over 65 by the last day of the course, you may enrol in courses for credit without payment of tuition and supplementary fees. You must still meet admissions and prerequisite requirements.

Seniors apply on the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre and pay the appropriate full-time fee.

Alternatively, if you are interested in being a listener for a particular class (ie. auditing the class but not being formally enrolled in it for credit), please see the relevant section on this page.

Questions? If you require assistance with your application, please contact Student Services using their live chat or through email. If you would like to learn more about available courses, please contact your faculty/program of choice.

What is a sponsored student?

A sponsored student receives funding for tuition and/or supplementary/miscellaneous fees by an embassy, government, band funding or company.

Process

Tuition and supplementary/miscellaneous fees covered by your sponsor will be removed from your student account and will be invoiced directly to your sponsor each term. If your sponsorship does not cover supplementary/miscellaneous fees, the charges will appear on your Mosaic student account and need to be settled by the deadline.

Your responsibilities

  • Notify your sponsor of changes in enrolment and/or academic progress resulting in a change of fees
  • Review your online Mosaic Account Summary and pay any charges not covered by your sponsor
  • Provide any transcripts or progress reports directly to the sponsor, if required

How to check if your guarantee has been received

Log on to your Mosaic account. Select “Student Center” and then “payments”. If the guarantee has been received, it will be labeled as “Deferred to Third Party.”