Montana Online Course Exchange

What is the Montana Online Course Exchange?

The Montana Online Course Exchange is an innovative tool that allows students currently enrolled at Montana University System (MUS) colleges to seamlessly enroll in online courses offered by other eligible MUS colleges without filling out a new application or paying a separate bill. Most courses offered on the Exchange are lower division and offered fully online in an asynchronous format.

Benefits to Students

  • Find and instantly enroll in courses with a simple search and a single bill
  • Expedite degree completion by taking courses when they are not available at your home college
  • Access unique courses, regardless of where you live

How Does It Work?

Students can search for courses by keyword or subject areas at courseshare.mus.edu. To enroll, students are prompted to enter a brief set of personal data and agree to exchange policies. Students are also asked if they wish to use financial aid to help pay for the course. Students are then enrolled in the course and billed at their home institution. If they request to use financial aid, their home financial aid office may ask them to work with their academic advisor to confirm the course is in their plan of study.

The college or university at which a student is currently matriculated is referred to as the home campus, the institution delivering the course for which the student registers through the Exchange is referred to as the teaching campus.

Students enrolled in courses through the course sharing platform must follow the teaching university’s academic policies, including drop/add dates, academic integrity policies, grade grievance policies, and any other relevant student codes of behavior related to being citizens of the online classroom.

Student Eligibility

Only students from participating MUS or Montana Community Colleges campuses can cross register for courses on the Exchange. All active students, except dual enrollment and international students, are eligible to use the Exchange, even if they are not enrolled in coursework at their home campus in the term they enroll via the Exchange. Students are limited to enrolling in two courses via the Exchange in each academic term.

Student Finances

Course fees and tuition for Exchange courses are assessed at the home campus. Students will be charged tuition and mandatory fees commensurate with their overall credit load (sum of credits enrolled at home and teaching campuses) by the home campus at the appropriate home campus tuition rate. Tuition charges for Exchange courses are added to a student’s bill automatically through a marker course. Waivers will apply for eligible students. Students will be charged course fees at the teaching campus rate. Students will follow their home campus timeline for bill payment.

Registration Information

Students can search and register for courses at courseshare.mus.edu. Generally, registration deadlines will follow the following guidelines:

  • Exchange registration will open after priority registration closes at all Exchange campuses.
  • Exchange registration close dates will mirror whichever campus closes registration earliest.
  • Course drops without penalty through the Exchange will mirror whichever campus drop deadline is earliest.
  • All MUS Fall 2024 courses will be available for registration April 8th- August 21st, 2024.
  • The student will be notified by email when the registration has been processed.  
  • If there is a registration hold at the home campus or the teaching campus, the registration will fail and a place in the course will not be held. 

Student Support/ Resources

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