Frequently Asked Questions

Students must check with their receiving institution to verify that they will accept the credits prior to enrollment.

Students enrolling in Accelerated Science classes must have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.  We recommend prerequisites for some courses, but we do not require that you provide proof of having completed a recommended prerequisite.

You should know that your chance of success in the course is greatly improved if you have recent, basic knowledge in Math, Chemistry and Biology.  If you don’t have the recommended foundational knowledge or if it’s been a while since you last took science classes, you should plan to spend more time studying to catch up with classmates who may have more recent foundational knowledge. The instructors and tutors in the Accelerated Science department are here to support you in these cases.

Neither transcripts nor an application is required to register for an Accelerated Science course. Simply follow the registration process to create a student account and sign up for the courses you choose to take.

All classes attempted at SCU are recorded on the SCU transcript – no exceptions. If you withdraw from the class at any point during the 5 weeks of the class, a grade of “W” will be recorded on your transcript. A grade of “W” has no impact on your GPA.

You can submit a withdrawal request via your mySCU student portal up until the last day of the course. Late withdrawal requests will not be accepted.

Our withdrawal policy allows you to request this at any point during the duration of your course. We also offer a prorated tuition refund policy for all of our courses for the first three weeks to accommodate such emergencies as needed.

You are eligible for a pro-rated refund for your class during the first three weeks of class. There is no refund if you drop after the third week.

Student who drop or withdraw from Accelerated Sciences courses will be eligible for a tuition refund according to the table below.  Fees and other charges are not refundable. Please note: refunds are based upon the start of the week and term, not the actual first day of class.

SCU utilizes Canvas as our Learning Management System. You can access Canvas through mySCU.

You will be able to view your courses normally two days prior to the start of your course

Both On-Ground classes and Interactive Online classes take place during scheduled class time and require students to meet the attendance and participation requirements set by instructors. On-Ground classes meet in person, while Interactive Online classes meet on Zoom (i.e., in a synchronous format). Both formats utilize a mix of presentations and small group discussions where students learn to tie key foundational concepts to clinical practice and other real-world applications. Self-Paced Online classes are designed for students to study independently on their own schedule under the guidance of an instructor (i.e., in an asynchronous format). There are no attendance requirements in scheduled class sessions, but students must interact regularly with their instructor and meet assignment due dates to demonstrate their understanding of course content. Students can set up appointments to meet individually or in small groups with instructors as needed via Zoom.

There is no way to answer with a 100% certainty which modality any student would perform better in. Our recommendation is to be aware of your learning style. If you perform well independently, with few questions to ask while taking classes, Self-Paced Online (Asynchronous) may be a better fit for you. If you perform better with group assignments and frequent face-to-face time with your instructor, Interactive Online (Synchronous) or On-Ground may be a better fit for you.

There is a virtual orientation available through mySCU that will guide you through SCU policies. Each course also has a course orientation.

SCU provides free parking for all students. Fill out the parking request form (available through mySCU), print out the parking pass at home and park in any of the student parking lots on campus.

There are no separate lab materials required for purchase.

No, textbooks are included in your tuition.

Yes, a $75 registration fee is required for every course or course bundle (lab and lecture) that you register for.

No, registration fees are non-refundable and cannot be rolled over nor used as credit towards future courses.

No.  The campus is centrally located near a variety of apartments, hotels, and online marketplace housing like Airbnb.  Whittier is in close proximity to Buena Park, the home of Knott’s Berry Farms, which has abundant hotels and restaurants.

There are various modalities available, depending on your needs. Please reach out directly to ASAcademicAffairs@scuhs.edu with specific questions.

All exams are remotely proctored unless otherwise specified for an on-campus course. In order to ensure that your exam is accepted, an external webcam is now required for all remote assessments. 

Credits are equivalent to that of a semester-long course.

If you register after the start date it normally takes up to 24 hours for the system to update and to gain access to your course. You will need to reach out to your instructor for extensions for any past due assignments.

If you require any type of accommodations to take one of our courses, please refer to the ‘Accessibility Services’ section of this page for details on how to apply via our Student Services Office. It is strongly encouraged that you apply through their office as soon as you start your course if not beforehand.

Please contact our IT department at 1-877-796-2350. They are available 24/7 to assist our students.

Tuition will be posted one week prior to the start of the course and must be paid in full by the first day of the block unless prior arrangements have been made with the Student Accounts Office.

The payment plan splits your tuition into two installments, the first installment will have an additional $85 initiation fee due by the first day of the block, the second installment will be due the following week by Wednesday. There is no payment plan that breaks it into smaller increments throughout the five weeks.

Federal financial aid is not eligible to pay for accelerated courses. Tuition must be paid either out of pocket or through a private loan.

Final grades are submitted the week after your course ends. Please reach out to the Registrar’s Office to request official transcripts after the grades have been received.