Who Can Enroll?

The short answer: anyone with a decent computer, a stable internet connection, and the prerequisite mathematics. Distance Calculus is open to a broader range of students than a traditional on-campus course - working adults, advanced high schoolers, undergraduates from other universities, military personnel, graduate-school-bound career changers, and life-long learners are all part of our student population.

Institutional Requirements

When you enroll, Roger Williams University admits you as a Non-Degree-Seeking, Non-Matriculating student. This is the standard category for students taking one or a few courses at Roger Williams University - University College without pursuing a degree at RWU itself. At other institutions this category is sometimes called an "Extension School" admission.

Unlike regular admission, you do not need to submit:

• SAT scores
• An entrance essay
• High school transcripts
• Letters of recommendation to apply

The trade-off is that as a non-matriculating student you cannot pursue a Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. degree at Roger Williams University without a separate application. The vast majority of our students aren't trying to - they have a primary academic plan at another college or university, and they're using Distance Calculus to take one or more math courses and transfer the credits back to their home institution.

Some of our students aren't enrolled anywhere else at all. They take Distance Calculus as a refresher, as professional development, as a graduate-school-application booster, or simply for intellectual interest in retirement.

Academic Requirements / Prerequisites

The only meaningful academic requirement for enrolling is meeting the prerequisites for the specific course you want to take. For Calculus I, the prerequisite is "a course in precalculus". For Calculus II, it's a Calculus I course. And so on.

A common question: "I took precalculus 10 years ago - do I need to take it again before enrolling in Distance Calculus?" In most cases the answer is no. If we detect a weakness in your background, we'll assign extra modules at the precalculus level so you can shore up that area before launching into the new content. Because of the Mastery Learning structure, taking an extra few days or weeks for review costs nothing - you simply spend that time on the warm-up material before resuming the main course.

If you haven't taken the prerequisite course at all and want to skip it - that's not allowed. We require new students to submit proof of completion of prerequisites via official academic transcript.

Common Distance Calculus Student Profiles

• Working Professionals - working adults taking college classes at night, aiming to complete a B.A. or M.A. at a local institution, with one or more Distance Calculus courses fitting around the day job.
• Undergraduate Students - currently enrolled at another university, can't fit calculus into their on-campus schedule, or prefer the smaller, more individual format over a 500-seat lecture hall. See Current College Students.
• Advanced High School Students - have completed AP Calculus BC and want to continue their calculus studies rather than wait for university. See Current High School Students.
• Military Personnel - active duty or honorably discharged, taking advantage of the asynchronous format around military duties. See Military Students.
• Graduate-School-Bound - working adults preparing math prerequisites for an MBA, data science, economics, or other graduate program. See Graduate School Bound.
• Returning to Academics - students restarting after years away from school. See Returning to Academics.
• Life-Long Learners - no degree goal, just genuine intellectual interest in calculus or higher mathematics.
• K-12 Teachers - meeting professional development requirements in their general or specialization area.

Start Your Enrollment Application