SARAH STOESZ / ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Most students at Butler University enroll in a course to receive credit toward a degree.

However, some individuals pay to take classes—without receiving any credit—simply because they are interested in the topic.

Butler offers the Audit for Enrichment program during the fall and spring semesters.

About five to 10 individuals participate in the AFE program each semester, registrar Michele Neary said.

The individuals in the AFE program are not classified as Butler students.  Students who audit classes are classified as non-degree students, meaning the credit hours they are enrolled in do not count towards earning a diploma.

Adults who received a high school diploma are eligible to participate in the program.  The interested individual has to apply and be accepted into the program.  Prior to enrollment in a specific class, the respective department must approve.

The auditor’s participation in a course will not appear on an official transcript.

People who participate in the program are typically not traditional students, assistant professor Hilary Buttrick said.

“I think, often people who audit a class are simply looking to gain additional knowledge about something they are interested in that, maybe, is beyond their immediate field of expertise,” she said. “They haven’t studied or worked with (the subject) in great detail.”

Buttrick has a former Butler mathematics professor auditing her Business Ethics class this semester.

Auditors are able to participate in class discussions like traditional students. Some are more active participants than others.

“I think that often the auditing student brings a sort of a different perspective to the classroom and can enrich class discussion based on their experiences,” Buttrick said.

It costs $100 per credit hour to audit a class. The nonrefundable payment is due at the time of registration.