SFU NOW is a pathway for working adults to earn their Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree through part-time studies on evenings or weekends. You can start a degree, resume interrupted studies or supplement courses for another degree program - without disrupting your career.

Many students expressed a need for evening and weekend classes. The SFU NOW program gives you priority registration in SFU NOW courses, which take place at times that fit your busy schedule.

The program is primarily for working students, who can take SFU NOW courses at SFU's Vancouver and Surrey campuses. You may complete your Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or enrol in individual courses from several SFU faculties through SFU NOW.

No. SFU NOW courses are regular undergraduate courses from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology, offered on evenings and weekends at SFU Vancouver and SFU Surrey. Learn more about the SFU NOW courses we currently offer.

When you complete all required courses, you will earn the same Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree as full-time SFU students.

Yes. Depending on your degree, you can take some of our courses as electives. Your undergraduate advisor will give you a personalized answer.

SFU NOW offers several free information sessions each semester. If you’re interested in attending an upcoming information session, please RSVP to sfunow@sfu.ca or 778-782-8655. Unable to attend one of the information sessions? Contact us, and we will be happy to meet with you at your convenience.

It is possible to earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree through SFU NOW, provided you enrol in the correct courses. Undergraduate advisors are here to help you plan your degree pathway.

When you complete all required courses, you will earn the same Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree as full-time SFU students.

Your many degree options include Humanities, English, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Communication, Criminology, Psychology, Economics, Philosophy, Geography, History, Computing Science and Earth Sciences. Degree completion depends on several factors that your undergraduate advisor will discuss with you once gain admission. For more information on what courses are required for your major and/or minor, see the SFU Calendar.

You must take the right courses and fulfill the requirements to complete your degree. See Planning Your Degree Pathway for a detailed outline of these requirements. Once you gain admission to SFU, you will be assigned an undergraduate advisor who will help you plan your degree.

No. You can enrol in as many or as few courses as you like. If you take at least one SFU NOW course every three (3) semesters - in other words, once a year - you will maintain your SFU NOW student status and privileges.

As an SFU NOW student, you get priority enrolment in SFU NOW courses for the first three (3) weeks of the enrolment period. During this time, only SFU NOW students can enrol in SFU NOW courses. If there are still seats available after the three-week period, enrolment will be opened to all SFU students, and SFU NOW students will no longer have priority.

To find out which courses will transfer before you apply to SFU NOW, visit the BC Transfer Guide. Transferability typically depends on whether there is a parallel or similar course offered through SFU. If a course is transferable, you can receive credit at SFU only if you passed it with a grade of at least C (2.0 or 60 percent). Usually, we cannot give credit for something SFU doesn’t already offer. However, general transfer credit may be available for some programs. Transfer credits are evaluated once you apply to SFU.

Yes. SFU NOW students may take individual courses from several faculties. Online courses are also available through the Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE).

To maintain your status as an SFU NOW student, you must work at least 30 hours per week. If your working hours change after you enrol in SFU NOW courses, please let us know.

Yes. SFU NOW has the same admission requirements as other SFU programs.

SFU NOW students are regular SFU undergraduate students. If you wish to enrol in SFU NOW courses or any other SFU offerings, you must follow the Step-by-Step Admission Process.

The university’s admissions office will review your application and make an admission decision using the supporting documents you sent. If your application is complete and you are admissible based on its contents, SFU may admit you right away. However, most applicants do not receive an immediate offer of admission. The university may need additional information and/or official documents. Follow these steps to ensure that we process your application quickly.

Once you’ve been offered admission to SFU, follow these steps to confirm your acceptance and enrol in classes.

Because so many students use SFU’s advisory services, advisors can meet only with current students. Once you are an SFU NOW student, you will be assigned an undergraduate advisor to help you. If you have questions about the SFU NOW program itself, we are happy to help.

Unless you need help with course planning and choosing a major - or in dealing with academic difficulties - you don’t have to meet with an academic advisor. However, keep in mind that we will automatically assign you an academic advisor once you gain admission to SFU. Your advisor is there to assist you at your convenience.

For various topics, SFU also offers online Live Help. By logging in to this secure service with your SFU computing ID, you can ask for help just as you would use MSN or Yahoo Messenger to talk to a friend. Click here for details.

Here’s how we can help when you are applying to SFU NOW:

• If you have questions about the admissions process.
• If you are not sure that you meet SFU’s regular admission requirements.
• If you are a former SFU student but subsequent credit hours you completed are not transferable. In this case, we may advise you to seek admission as a readmitted student, rather than as a "new" student. In consultation with the admissions office, SFU NOW can provide information which may speed up your application process.
• If you had to withdraw from SFU or another university, or were put on academic probation at SFU or another institution you attended.
• If you think you might be a candidate for admission as a mature student.

To get help with these and other questions, contact us.

Yes. SFU NOW has the same tuition costs as other SFU programs.

You must pay three types of fees: the SFU application fee, the admission deposit for new students and course tuition fees.

You can pay your fees through online or telephone banking, in person at SFU campuses (cheque, money order, debit card), or by mail (cheque, money order). Learn more.

Several scholarships are available to working students. Learn more.

SFU NOW offers courses from several SFU faculties. On average, there are 30 to 35 courses in the fall and spring semesters, and 20 to 25 courses during the summer semester. To learn more, see our current SFU NOW courses.

SFU NOW courses take place at SFU Vancouver (at Harbour Centre) and SFU Surrey (at Central City), with the majority of courses offered at the Vancouver campus. We continue to expand our course selection at both campuses.

Generally, classes start at 5:30 pm on weeknights, and 9:30 am or 12:30 pm on weekends.

To enrol in SFU NOW courses, follow these steps.

Undergraduate courses range in level from 100 to 400. Lower-division courses are first- and second-year courses (levels 100 and 200). Upper-division courses are third- and fourth-year courses (levels 300 and 400).

To earn your Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, you must complete 120 credits consisting of both lower- and upper-division courses. The specific courses you need to take will depend on which major and/or minor you are pursuing. If you decide to pursue an undergraduate honours degree, you must complete 132 credits. For more information on what courses are required for your major and/or minor, see the SFU Calendar.

Many SFU courses have prerequisites: courses you must complete before enrolling. Lower-level courses are often prerequisites for higher-level courses. Some courses require you to complete a minimum number of credit hours first. Other offerings are restricted to specific groups of students, such as those who have already declared their major or minor in a particular discipline.

All students completing an undergraduate degree at SFU must take a minimum number of courses designated to meet writing (W), quantitative (Q) and breadth (B) requirements. Students must achieve a grade of C- or better to meet the W, Q and B requirements.

Students may not enrol in W and Q courses without first meeting SFU’s English-language competency and literacy entrance requirements, and SFU’s quantitative and analytical skills entrance requirements. You can meet these requirements in a variety of ways before or after enrolling at SFU. See Literacy Requirements and Quantitative Requirements for more information.

SFU NOW courses are scheduled to allow for completion of all W, Q and B requirements by students wishing to complete a bachelor’s degree. We label these courses with the letters W, Q and B on the SFU NOW courses list.

No. As an SFU NOW student, you are eligible to enrol in any SFU undergraduate course to supplement SFU NOW offerings, such as online or daytime courses.

Yes. If you are pursuing another degree at SFU, you may take one or more SFU NOW courses to complete your studies.

If you’re having trouble with your SFU courses, you must make an appointment with your academic advisor as soon as possible. If you are on academic probation, your advisor will help you try to regain good academic standing.

Are you feeling stressed or anxious? SFU Health and Counselling Services’ professional psychologists and clinical counsellors can help you achieve your academic and personal potential. Click here for information.

For the many other services offered to SFU students, click here.

For each course, you can expect to spend three hours per week in class, as well as any time you spend working in the library or the computing lab. SFU NOW courses are scheduled with your busy life in mind: evening classes run from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, and weekend daytime classes run from 9:30 am to 12:20 pm or 12:30 to 3:20 pm.

Your SFU NOW classmates will be a mix of regular undergraduates and working students like you. Currently, SFU NOW students make up about 30 percent of total enrolment in the program. As SFU NOW grows, we expect this number to increase.

Having some computing skills will serve you well during your university career. Besides using a computer to write your papers and other assignments, you may need to access online materials to complete your course work. Many instructors post course readings on the web, and courses may require online group work. Library staff are available to help you with online research.

As an SFU NOW student, you will enjoy the same benefits as all SFU students: access to SFU libraries, Student Learning Commons, computer labs, career services, campus bookstores and campus-specific recreation services. SFU NOW students will be automatically enrolled in the SFU Student Society health and dental plan and will be eligible for the U-Pass. Learn more.

In addition to regular student services, SFU NOW provides academic workshops on study skills, research and writing papers, as well as social events for personal and professional networking. As an SFU NOW student, you will be notified of these workshops and events.